The Critical Connection Between Communication and Coaching

Educators need to be communication experts.

From classroom instruction to school-home communications, K-12 teachers, administrators, and leaders need to exercise good judgment, think carefully about their audiences, and package information so it can be easily understood. 

But when it comes to communication within a district, such as instructional coaching, observation, and teacher feedback, the level of administrative workload can take up valuable time and focus, which are often in short supply. Educators need clear and effective communication to develop and grow their skills. In this blog post, we’ll explore ways to improve communication within districts and share some resources that can help cut down on administrative busywork.

Stay Organized with a Central Source of Truth

One of the most time-consuming aspects of teacher coaching programs is cataloging and tracking feedback. Timely feedback is crucial for teacher growth, but observations made in email threads and offhand comments scattered across multiple documents just aren’t helpful—especially when it comes time to review that feedback and set goals for improvement. 

The solution? Keep your notes in one place. Have a central location for housing observation and feedback, so educators in your district can find the feedback they need. Plus, this approach helps district leaders better understand each educator’s unique needs and opportunities for growth.

Collaborate, Don’t Dictate

The best growth planning is a collaborative effort. Feedback and growth planning that is too prescriptive or didactic runs the risk of alienating the person receiving the feedback, especially if they feel that their perspective isn’t being heard. 

Whenever possible, it’s best to bring educators into the growth planning process as equal partners. After all, educators stand to benefit from targeted, thoughtful feedback and a clear career growth plan. When setting goals and targets, ensure that educators have a voice in the process. By giving them more agency to direct their next steps for growth, you enable educators to take charge of their careers and help them stay motivated to succeed. 

SchoolStatus Boost Enables Growth Without Hassle

At SchoolStatus, we create products that help educators maintain the same level of focus and attention to their communications while scaling communications out to an entire district. We recently launched SchoolStatus Boost, an educator observation and feedback platform that helps district administrators and coaches save up to half a day per week on coaching and feedback workflows. Boost centralizes feedback, provides action-oriented and collaborative goal-setting tools, and assists with follow-up scheduling. By streamlining your district workflows, educators reclaim valuable time and can act more quickly on feedback. With Boost, the classroom can be a learning environment for educators as well as students.

Curious what you can do to save time and improve feedback cycles within your district? Try out a personalized demo of SchoolStatus Boost. We’re looking forward to helping your school or district support educators and create the best possible outcomes for students.