Want to help teachers and other education professionals improve their practice? 

It's essential to start with a clear vision for what improved practice will look like—not from an observer's perspective, but from the point of view of the practitioner. 

We call this the insider's view, and it's the key to enhancing professional judgment. 

Too often, shared expectations focus solely on surface-level features, and offer little guidance how to think in more sophisticated and nuanced ways. 

Instructional frameworks are the key.

An instructional framework is a detailed description of the insider's view of professional practice in a specific area, broken into key components and levels of fluency. 

Key components focus attention on the essential elements of a practice. For example, a framework on rigor might have key components such as:

• Alignment to standards
• Conveying high expectations to students
• Scaffolding and developing milestones
  
  

Levels of fluency create a progression from beginning, to developing, to fluent, to exemplary, in each key component. This progression gives practitioners clear next steps so they can continue to develop.

Instructional frameworks are perfect for:

• Establishing shared expectations
• Creating growth pathways for teachers & other education professionals
• Mobilizing educators around a common vision for improvement