Classrooms are the heart of schools, but how often do the many tasks and responsibilities of school and district leaders impede their opportunity to spend concentrated time in them? Instructional Rounds offer an opportunity to gain context for student outcomes, observe instructional practices, and test assumptions. Through facilitated classroom observations within a community of practice, leaders focus on a specific question, gathering feedback and data to guide improvement efforts. These visits can provide critical context for understanding data — whether by helping to anticipate results before assessments or offering clarity on outcomes.
These visits aren’t about monitoring or evaluating anyone. Instead, they give leaders a chance to reflect on classroom successes, engage in thoughtful partnership with colleagues, and refine their understanding of what’s driving student success. By sharing insights and discussing strategies, leaders can support each other more effectively and take actionable next steps to improve practice.
Janelle Clarke-Holley, CLEE Senior Director of Program Implementation
Instructional Rounds help align district goals, school improvement efforts, and classroom practices. They strengthen collegiality, promote collaboration, and foster a shared understanding of how to move forward. This process is a powerful tool for continuous growth for district leaders, school improvement teams and building leaders.
While leadership time often fills with logistics and transactional tasks, it is crucial to intentionally set aside time to be in classrooms. Instructional Rounds creates an efficient format for classroom visits. Partnering with CLEE to launch this practice can enhance school and district performance by keeping leaders connected to the core of the work and cultivating a culture of ongoing improvement