What is a shared instructional framework and why does it matter for classroom visits?
A shared instructional framework is the collection of documents and expectations that define what good teaching looks like in your school or district. It might include your teacher evaluation rubric, curriculum guides, professional development priorities, and strategic plan. Together, these create a common vocabulary for talking about instruction.
It matters because without shared language, post-visit conversations become a contest of opinions. You think the lesson needed more rigor; the teacher thinks it was appropriately challenging. Neither of you has a reference point beyond your own perspective. A framework gives both of you something external to point to — a neutral third party, in a sense — that keeps the conversation grounded in shared expectations rather than personal preferences.
The framework shouldn't be used as a rating tool during brief visits. It's a vocabulary builder and a conversation guide. Over time, it becomes the common language through which you and your staff talk about teaching and learning.
I explain how to build and use your instructional framework in Now We're Talking!, Days 2, 5, and 13.
From the Book
Now We’re Talking! 21 Days to High-Performance Instructional Leadership
About the Author
Justin Baeder, PhD
Justin Baeder, PhD is Director of The Principal Center, where he helps senior leaders in K–12 organizations build capacity for instructional leadership. A former principal in Seattle Public Schools, he is the creator of the Instructional Leadership Challenge, which has helped more than 10,000 school leaders in 50 countries around the world:
- Confidently get into classrooms every day
- Have feedback conversations that change teacher practice
- Discover their best opportunities for school improvement
Dr. Baeder directs the Instructional Leadership Association, the premiere professional membership for school leaders, and is the author of three Solution Tree books on instructional leadership:
- Now We’re Talking! 21 Days to High-Performance Instructional Leadership
- Mapping Professional Practice: How to Develop Instructional Frameworks to Support Teacher Growth (with Heather Bell-Williams)
- Cultivate and Activate: Building Teacher Capacity for Instructional Leadership (with Keith Fickel)
Justin is the host of Principal Center Radio, a long-running audio podcast featuring more than 400 education thought leaders and more than 500 books, as well as The Teaching Show and The Eduleadership Show. A prolific education commentator, he has more than 250,000 followers and 30,000,000 annual impressions on social media, and is frequently consulted by major media outlets on issues of education research, policy, and practice.
As a consultant, trainer, and speaker, Dr. Baeder has worked onsite with groups across the US, Canada, and Central America, and virtually with groups across the Middle East, Australia, and around the world. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, and regularly provides administrator professional development on classroom walkthroughs, teacher evaluation, and instructional leadership.
He holds a PhD in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Washington and an MEd in Curriculum & Instruction from Seattle University, and is a graduate of the Danforth Program for Educational Leadership at UW.