One of the most pressing challenges right now for school leaders is to balance their students’ immediate instructional needs with the very real and challenging teacher needs for support, empathy, and rest. Instructional leaders contend with many competing commitments throughout their day. We know that strong instructional leadership is a leading factor in transformational change and student outcomes. High-quality instructional time is the most important aspect of our students feeling competent and capable and setting the stage for college and career readiness.

Principals can support instructional improvement by making classroom walkthroughs a priority. As you engage in classroom observations, make note of what is going well. Focus on assets and strengths by explicitly calling out instruction and learning. Communicating these bright spots to your staff regularly will support any instructional focus and improvement efforts you and your staff are committing to this year. What classwork and interactions do you see that support your school’s mission and/or instructional focus? Giving genuine, positive feedback through noticing and thoughtful questioning will inspire teachers to reflect, and it builds a shared understanding of what is valued and celebrated.

The American abolitionist Robert Ingersoll said, “We rise by lifting others.” As the pandemic continues, we know that our leadership functions as a steady encouraging hand to the people we serve. Our staff and students must see us present, engaged with, and supportive of their work.

This month we challenge you to visit classrooms and provide timely feedback to your staff. Start small by allocating one hour or more over the course of the week to visit classrooms and provide informal feedback! Here’s a feedback example:

Enjoy your time with teachers and students this week, and throughout the month!

Welcome to Principles for Principals, a new podcast from the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) TIP Sheet Team. Whether you are a veteran or novice school leader, this podcast is for you! We can’t wait to share tips and resources to help in developing or fine tuning your leadership skills.

Our first episode is a 15-minute conversation with Joe Frescatore, SDCOE executive leadership coach, who shares the importance of conducting classroom observations and providing timely feedback to teachers using the 5D Instructional Framework. Happy listening!

Join colleagues from all over San Diego County to learn, collaborate, and implement social and emotional learning (SEL). Team attendance is encouraged to ensure collaborative learning moves your SEL work forward, but is not required. Team members could include mental health professionals, school and district leaders, teachers, family engagement staff, and community partners. The community of practice begins Oct. 13 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Register to join the group which meets one day a month.

You can now nominate a stellar school counselor to apply for the third annual San Diego County School Counselor of the Year (SCOY) award. The SCOY program started in 2019-20 to recognize and celebrate the work and service of professional school counselors in San Diego County.

Sponsored by North Island Credit Union, recognition will be granted in three SCOY levels: elementary, middle, and high school, and celebrate with them at the Honoring Excellence in School Counseling Leadership event on Feb. 9, 2022. You're encouraged to submit a nomination at the SDCOE School Counselor webpage today; applications are due by Nov. 1.

Find school or education grants that may be a good fit for your students and staff. Throughout the year, this document will be updated with funding opportunities.  

We spoke with Susy Chavez, principal of Howard Pence Elementary, a TK to 6th-grade school located in the South Bay Union School District. This is her third year as a principal and has served as an associate principal, resource teacher, and multiple subject elementary school teacher throughout her career.

Chavez leads with a strong moral compass and is guided by a Maya Angelou quote -"When you know better, you do better.”

This year, in collaboration with her staff, Principal Chavez launched Project GLAD to help support students who are English learners at her site, something of which she is very proud. She has worked to include her school's instructional leadership team (ILT) in these improvement efforts. Chavez guides her ILT through focused classroom observations with a lens on instructional practices. The team looks for agreed-upon GLAD strategies in order to celebrate strengths and bright spots. It’s amazing to hear how she is working to empower her team and is leveraging a shared classroom walkthrough experience to honor practice and build capacity.

“Every individual on our campus is valuable and an intricate part of helping our students become successful, not only academically, but socially and emotionally," Chavez shared. She recognizes the importance of professional development for both certificated and classified staff. This year, she and her staff continued participating in professional development to renew their shared beliefs around No Excuses University and its Exceptional Systems.

Principal Chavez recognizes the importance of frequent and regular feedback. “I take my laptop with me to classes during classroom observations. This way I can provide direct feedback to teachers right away, eliminating the task of transferring from writing to an email at a later point after work. I use the 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning to my guide classroom observations and to focus my observational lens.”

Communication is an area where Chavez works hard. From providing regular feedback to teachers, to intentional weekly communication with staff and families, she is constantly messaging her vision, values, and strong beliefs around students and their ability to achieve at high levels. Regular check-ins with peers and colleagues helps Chavez to stay focused on her work and support her well-being as a transformational and instructional leader. Having a scheduled weekly Principal’s Learning Network helps her connect with her peers and helps support her goals, and works to foster positive energy and an optimistic outlook. She also leans into Relentless by Tim Glover and Dare to Lead by Brené Brown for inspiration.

We asked Chavez what she likes to do when she is not leading her school and she shared that she enjoys a cup of tea and a good paperback novel. She also said she recognizes the need to find more balance between work and home and is actively working to create a healthy routine.

As we celebrate National School Principals Month, we thank you, Principal Chavez, for all you do! #ThankAPrincipal

You can learn more from Susy Chavez by following her school on Twitter: @penceSBUSD, and you can also learn more about her school at the Pence Elementary website.

Hello. I’m Joe Frescatore, executive leadership coach at SDCOE. My experience as a teacher, academic coach, administrator, and professional development facilitator shaped my lens on high-quality teaching and learning, and it’s an honor and pleasure to work with leaders across San Diego County as a trusted partner. I love sharing two high-leverage processes that significantly impacted me as a school-site leader. Targeted Feedback for Teacher Growth™, a strengths and evidence-based feedback process that focuses on the cause/effect relationship between teaching and student learning, transformed the way I was in classrooms the very next day. The 5 Dimensions of Teaching and Learning™, a research-based instructional framework, guided the development of our data-informed instructional focus, PLC collaboration, classroom observations, and teacher feedback to impact student learning. I’m passionate about the value and applicability of Targeted Feedback™ and the use of the 5D™, so please let me know when you’re ready to connect to learn how these research-based processes can support your leadership.

Our next Targeted Feedback for Teacher Growth™ Institute is scheduled for March 5 to 7. Click here for more information.

As the director of our Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (PASC) program, I work with a team of executive leadership coach course instructors who are dedicated to growing highly qualified leaders through content, theory, and authentic learning experiences, making them poised and ready to influence change for the future. If you want to talk high-quality teaching and learning, I’m in!

Please reach out at joseph.frescatore@sdcoe.net, 619-295-8921, or find me on Twitter @joefrescatore.

Hi, I’m Sheelagh Moran, also an executive leadership coach at SDCOE. I have been working at the county for the past eight years and have enjoyed every minute of it! I use my K-12 expertise to partner with site and district leaders to build the capacity of all stakeholders in service of high-quality teaching and learning. One of my favorite roles is partnering with teachers, coaches, and leaders across the state to strengthen their skills and capacity to provide meaningful feedback to teachers. Joe Frescatore has shared information about our next Targeted Feedback for Teacher Growth™ session. I hope you and your team will register to join us.

Another meaningful service that is offered through SDCOE is the Leadership Transition and Culture Survey process. These services support schools in building a team, tackling challenges, and developing trust throughout the campus.

If you would like to learn more about the services and support we offer at the county, please email me at smoran@sdcoe.net.

If you have any questions or comments about The TIP Sheet newsletter, email SDCOE Executive Leadership Coach Erin Dare or call 858-295-8913.