Moving Beyond Evaluations to Comprehensive Growth Plans
Independent schools are rethinking faculty growth and evaluation by moving beyond compliance-driven models toward approaches that foster professional learning, trust, and shared accountability. By uncoupling growth from evaluation, schools can establish clear expectations while also cultivating an environment that supports reflection and development. Central to this shift is a reimagining of feedback – not as a burdensome task or evaluative judgment, but as an ongoing, collaborative process that fuels individual and collective improvement. When thoughtfully designed, feedback systems become a powerful driver of faculty engagement, professional growth, and, ultimately, student success.
The “Why” for Faculty Growth and Evaluation
In a webinar for SAIS, former ISM consultant Barbara Beachley shared, “The ‘Why’ for faculty growth and evaluation is the impact of faculty culture on your school and your students.”
It’s critical to uncouple “growth” and “evaluation” – a set of essential expectations all are expected to meet. “Evaluation is not growth,” Beachley stated. “The purpose of faculty evaluation is to provide clear expectations, predictability, and accountability for your excellent teachers; to ensure that every teacher is meeting the school’s high expectations…; and to provide legal protection should nonrenewal or dismissal be required, by documenting use of uniform expectations and corrective action efforts.”
In contrast, a growth-centered process is collaborative, strengths based, and connected to goals, according to Julie Faulstitch, Stony Creek Strategy. In a webinar presented by SAIS, Faulstitch says feedback processes should provide “an opportunity to learn, explore, and stretch.”
Too often, school feedback programs are unsuccessful because they are too burdensome or require too much time, with evaluators lacking training on how to best provide feedback, says Faulstich. Charlotte Country Day School and Durham Academy both implemented feedback programs that overcome these obstacles, incorporate best practices, and generate faculty buy-in.
Continuous Feedback Loops – Charlotte Country Day Middle School
“We believe very strongly that people deserve time for feedback early when it can make a difference,” says Kasey Short, middle school director of studies and English teacher at Charlotte Country Day School, which serves 1,744 students in junior kindergarten through grade 12 in Charlotte, NC.
Short, along with Head of Middle School and Interim Assistant Head of School Warren Sepkowitz, are mindful of providing every member of the middle school faculty and staff with meaningful feedback. This priority stems from one of the school’s core values, educational excellence, which aspires to help students develop a love for learning through engagement with exceptional teachers.
The process is simple, structured, and intentional. Beginning the second week of school, Short and Sepkowitz start a classroom visit schedule that includes meeting with all 63 faculty members before the December break.
“We see department chairs and grade coordinators first because they’re our leaders, and we want to give them feedback and check in with them,” says Short. This allows middle school administration to determine needs at the start of the year, while also addressing any potential issues early. New teachers follow, receiving feedback before parents’ night in mid-September.
Sepkowitz and Short conduct their class visits together and use a common feedback sheet. Within a few days of the classroom observation, the teacher meets with Sepkowitz and Short in person for a follow-up conversation. The process is focused on building relationships and supporting teachers. It provides the opportunity to encourage faculty to extend their professional learning or even present at conferences. If Sepkowitz and Short see any potential areas for development, they ask grade level coordinators and department chairs to look for improvement when they conduct their own observations, which are completed by February 1.
This early focus on feedback allows the middle school to plan professional development quickly to meet the needs of the faculty. “This fall, we observed and met with a teacher who wished an adjustment could be made with the curriculum,” says Short. Sepkowitz and Short quickly secured substitute teachers for a day so that a small group could meet and make immediate changes – an adjustment made possible by the timely feedback process and conversation with the teacher.
Notably, it’s not only faculty who receive feedback. As head of the middle school, Sepkowitz also receives anonymous feedback, as does Short and other staff members such as the librarian. And, student voice plays an important part of the process, with student input incorporated into the feedback loop as well. This holistic approach to feedback results in action, such as the recent creation of both a wellness and a scheduling committee to meet the needs of faculty and staff.
Because of their new teacher mentor and onboarding program, all members of the middle school faculty and staff know from the outset that feedback is a part of the Charlotte Country Day School culture – that the process is consistent, equitable, and meaningful. By setting expectations early, leadership has discovered that it’s not a big deal for teachers to have observers in their classroom or to receive feedback. According to Short, the entire process feels open and honest while building trust.
There’s a trickle down effect of this feedback process. Students see all their teachers being observed and know that the school prioritizes teaching and learning, reinforcing the school’s value of educational excellence. “How Warren and I spend our time shows the teachers what we value,” says Short. “And , what we value is them. We value teaching and learning. In order to show people that, we have to show up for them.”
1000 VISITS for Faculty Growth – Durham Academy Upper School
By creating a faculty growth program that puts faculty in the driver’s seat, schools can generate excitement, build buy-in, and see inspiring results. Such is the case in the upper school of Durham Academy, a PreK-grade 12 school serving 1,252 students in Durham, NC.
Just as the school is committed to helping each student achieve personal growth in an atmosphere that is both supportive and challenging, the same is true for Durham Academy faculty, as evidenced by the “1000 VISITS” Faculty Growth Program.
Through 1000 VISITS, the entire upper school division – teachers, deans, counselors, and more – visit each other’s spaces, observe interactions with students, and engage in conversations with colleagues. The results speak for themselves: reflections on one’s own practices, new perspectives, and stories of collaboration and connection that transform teaching and ultimately benefit students.
Because of a move from Department Chairs to Academic Leaders in 2016, alongside a school shift from evaluation to a collaborative growth model, goals changed. From there, 1000 VISITS was born. Academic Leader of the World Languages Department Jennifer Garci and former faculty member Tara Eppinger, the then-academic leader of the Science department, were awarded a grant that enabled a course release – a one course reduction in their teaching load. This provided the necessary time in the school day for the duo to address these aligned goals of finding a system to support teachers.
The framework for the 1000 VISITS faculty growth program was inspired by research, particularly Harvard University’s MET Project. Meaningful teacher growth is rooted in self-reflection using the framework of teaching and learning data – student performance data, class visits/observations, and student feedback about teaching – followed by purposeful growth. For Durham Academy, this was the school’s “North Star” when developing 1000 VISITS. Garci and Eppinger designed, built, and launched a pilot program of class visits for the 20 faculty within their two departments, which provided the data necessary to better support all Academic Leaders by providing a permanent course release. The success of the pilot and the buzz around 1000 VISITS became a disruptor. The next iteration expanded to the entire upper school for one semester. Beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year, all 70 upper school faculty are participating in the program for the full year.
Through 1000 VISITS, every upper school faculty member – both classroom and non-classroom – receives at least one Academic Leader visit per year. Partner (peer) visits occur from October through May. Teachers receive feedback about their instruction from students through an anonymous survey conducted each semester.
The goal of this process is to foster self-inquiry and self-reflection through structured class visit notes, guiding reflection questions, and goal-setting conversations. Academic Leaders receive approximately eight hours of training to serve as coaches who guide thoughtful reflection rather than provide direct feedback or evaluation, unless directly solicited by the teacher.
If evaluative feedback is ever required as a corrective measure, it is handled exclusively by administration through a separate process. This distinction helps build and maintain trust in the faculty growth process, which is grounded in the school’s collaborative growth philosophy – intentionally separating growth and evaluation.
With a standardized visit protocol and templates, the 1000 VISITS system is overseen by Garci as the upper school dean of faculty. Garci has witnessed powerful moments of collaboration between colleagues, particularly those connecting across different departments.
Interdisciplinary partners are matched by Academic Leaders, with a focus on ensuring teachers work with new partners across disciplines each year. In one peer-visit match, a robotics and a Spanish instructor shared their insights with one another. Noted the robotics teacher through follow-up email in advance of the in-person meeting, “I could see lots of similarities between my class and this one. I loved the solution she uses for class participation. I have some new ideas for how I can implement class participation [after having received a rubric for class engagement].” Similarly, the Spanish teacher shared insights about the class visit to robotics: “You are inspiring me to think more creatively about what [students] present or give them some choice for the format of their writing.”
Through 1000 VISITS, Durham Academy upper school faculty are moving in the direction of ownership over their professional growth, with the process serving as a continuous, embedded system for reflection and refinement, while broader pedagogical changes are supported at an institutional level.
“The true innovation of 1000 VISITS lies in its branding, delivery, and messaging,” shares Garci. The program transformed faculty growth into a program that excites faculty rather than burdens them. “Rather than feeling like an administrative requirement, 1000 VISITS makes professional growth feel dynamic and faculty-driven. The language and structure are intentionally designed to create a positive association with reflection and peer learning. By making the process feel more low-stakes and even celebratory, 1000 VISITS has made a [faculty growth process into] a unified activity, as a full faculty, that has not fallen off the radar and that continuously brings stories of positive collaboration to the surface.”
Ideas Into Action
To take your faculty feedback program to the next level, Charlotte Country Day School and Durham Academy share their tips for success.
Additional Resources
Leading for the Long Term: Retention and Feedback StrategiesSupporting and Retaining Your Top TalentOnboarding and Mentorship
Related Programming
SAIS offers summer programming for those new to the teaching profession and those that are transitioning from teaching in public schools.
The SAIS Institute for New Teachers provides guidance, support, and the opportunity to practice planning and instructional skills with a small peer group led by an experienced independent school educator. Immediate, constructive feedback on demonstration lessons allows attendees to practice their craft in a supportive setting. This three-day program offers practical hands-on strategies and information unique to the culture and setting of an independent school. New teachers leave this workshop empowered to create and facilitate inspired learning experiences, partner with parents, and find their place in the school community.
The Institute for New Teachers: Public-to-Private is an online self-paced course offered May 1-August 31 for experienced public school teachers who are making the move to an independent school. Participants will explore the unique culture and structure of an independent school and what it’s like to work within a mission-aligned school community. A downloadable workbook is provided to guide participants as they learn and collect information about their new school. Opportunities for reflection, comparison, and additional questions are also included. The activities are designed to facilitate the relationship between the new teacher and their mentor, division, or department leader.
