• Subscribe

    Sign up here for our monthly newsletter.

  • Menu

    IDEAS

    With peer observation, teacher support is right down the hall: ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

    By Amelia Ruzicka and Cathie Loesing
    Categories: Collaboration, Teacher leadership, Technology
    April 2024
    One of the most powerful professional learning opportunities we can offer teachers does not have to be a complicated process or come in the form of expensive coursework. Sometimes the most effective learning opportunities await right down the hall. As the superintendent of the Bayless School District in St. Louis, Missouri, I (Amelia Ruzicka) have observed meaningful, job-embedded professional learning that benefits everyone who takes part in it, its effects even rippling outward to greater, whole-system improvements. The change catalyst is peer observation. Through this job-embedded process, teachers in Bayless have developed an array of tools and strategies that cultivate a dynamic, effective learning environment for our diverse student population. Today, our peer observation programs are streamlined, focused, and confidential for participating teachers, but they

    Read the remaining content with membership access. Join or log in below to continue.

    Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

    Log In
       

    References

    Airasian, P.W., & Gullickson, A.R. (1997). Teacher self-evaluation tool kit. Corwin Press.

    Bernhard, B. (2023, November 29). Public school enrollment stabilizes in St. Louis after pandemic losses. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com. www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/public-school-enrollment-stabilizes-in-st-louis-after-pandemic-losses/article_b9f31834-8e19-11ee-a319-4349e4f8a509.html

    Bernhard, B. (2024, January 25). New reading campaigns aim to boost literacy across St. Louis. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com. www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/new-reading-campaigns-aim-to-boost-literacy-across-st-louis/article_912702a4-bae1-11ee-8920-9fccd249b322.html

    Best Foot Forward Project. (2015). Best foot forward: A toolkit for fast-forwarding classroom observations using video. Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University.

    Learning Forward. (2022). Standards for Professional Learning. Author.

    Marshall, K. (2017). The truth about teacher evaluation: Evaluating teachers can be a powerful tool — if done right. American School Board Journal, 204(2), 76-76.

    Papay, J.P., Taylor, E.S., Tyler, J.H., & Laski, M.E. (2020). Learning job skills from colleagues at work: Evidence from a field experiment using teacher performance data. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 12(1), 359-388.

    Renaud, J. (2023, March 8). New rating system shows decline for Missouri schools as open enrollment gains support. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com. www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/new-rating-system-shows-decline-for-missouri-schools-as-open-enrollment-gains-support/article_733453af-bc29-50aa-9a9d-8e42e1ae6a2a.html


    Amelia ruzicka
    + posts

    Amelia Ruzicka currently serves as superintendent of Bayless School District in St. Louis, Missouri. During her 23 years in education, Ruzicka has served in a variety of capacities, including teacher, instructional coach, professional learning coordinator, and chief academic officer. She has received several awards including MASA Emerging Superintendent of the Year for Greater St. Louis, K-12 Dive’s National Rising Leader, MOSHAPE Administrator of the Year, Missouri Teacher of the Year Finalist, Loeb Prize for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics, Emerson Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Missouri Outstanding Beginning Teacher. Connect with her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @AmyRuzicka.

    Cathie loesing
    + posts

    Cathie Loesing is an instructional designer with the Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) at the University of Missouri. She has extensive experience as an elementary classroom teacher, school librarian, and instructional coach with Missouri public schools. Loesing provided professional learning for K-12 teachers throughout Missouri and other states prior to joining the NEE team. Her current work with NEE involves creating professional development materials for The EdHub Library and providing user support for customers of both EdHub and NEE.


    Categories: Collaboration, Teacher leadership, Technology

    Search
    The Learning Professional


    Published Date

    CURRENT ISSUE



  • Subscribe

  • Recent Issues

    LEARNING TO PIVOT
    August 2024

    Sometimes new information and situations call for major change. This issue...

    GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
    June 2024

    What does professional learning look like around the world? This issue...

    WHERE TECHNOLOGY CAN TAKE US
    April 2024

    Technology is both a topic and a tool for professional learning. This...

    EVALUATING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
    February 2024

    How do you know your professional learning is working? This issue digs...

    Skip to content