The concern about student learning loss is real. Reduced classroom time, learning over Zoom, technology challenges, difficult home situations, mental health concerns, and heightened inequities have all contributed in one way or another to a difficult academic year.

But of all the factors that affect student performance, one stands above the rest: teachers. Yet throughout the pandemic, supporting teachers’ growth took on a new wrinkle: how do you observe, evaluate, and provide feedback to teachers who are either teaching from home, or who are teaching students who are at home?

In today’s podcast, Dr. James Stronge, Heritage Professor at the College of William & Mary School of Education and president and CEO of Stronge & Associates Educational Consulting, considers:

• The pandemic’s impact on teachers and the administrators who support them
• The skills needed for effective virtual teaching
• Principles for schools as they conduct teacher evaluations in a virtual environment
• How to shape evaluations to support growth and genuinely impact student learning

For further reading:

Dr. Stronge referenced several research studies in this podcast, which can be found here:

• Fitzpatrick, B. R., Berends, M., Ferrare, J. J., & Waddington, R. J. (2020). Virtual Illusion: Comparing Student Achievement and Teacher and Classroom Characteristics in Online and Brick-and-Mortar Charter Schools (Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 161-175). Educational Researcher. doi:10.3102/0013189X20909814
• Barbour, Michael. (2019). The Landscape of K-12 Online Learning: Examining What Is Known.
• Hattie, J. (2017, November). 250+ Influences on Student Achievement. Retrieved from https://visible-learning.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/VLPLUS-252-Influences-Hattie-ranking-DEC-2017.pdf