According to NNSTOY (The National Network of State Teachers of the Year), the standard around Collaborative Culture falls in the first domain:
Domain I: Fostering a collaborative culture to support educator development and student learning
The teacher leader understands the principles of adult learning and knows how to develop a collaborative culture of collective responsibility in the school. The teacher leader uses this knowledge to promote an environment of collegiality, trust, and respect that focuses on continuous improvement in instruction and student learning.
For the purposes of my evaluation in the Fort Madison Community School District, Domain 1 is further broken down into six sub-domains, outlined with a three point rubric, illustrated below:
| Domain 1: Fostering a collaborative culture to support educator development and student learning | |||
| Expectation: | Effective
What it looks like… |
Developing
What it looks like… |
Aspiring
What it looks like… |
| 1.1 Create an environment of respect by building positive relationships with teachers | Teacher leader fosters sustained, trusting, caring, honest, and respectful relationships with teachers.
Many contacts with teacher leader initiated by teachers. |
Teacher leader is beginning to build effective relationships with teachers.
Some contacts with coach initiated by teachers. |
Teacher leader struggling to build and maintain effective relationships with teachers.
Teachers typically do not initiate contact with the coach. |
| 1.2 Maintain confidentiality | Teacher leader consistently follows practices intended to safeguard confidential student, teacher, and other data of a sensitive nature and coaches others in doing the same. | Teacher leader struggles to adhere to practices intended to safeguard confidential student, teacher, and other data of a sensitive nature. | |
| 1.3 Foster effective coaching conversations | Teacher leader regularly uses reflective conversation skills and coaching stances to engage individuals and groups in highly effective collaborative problem solving.
Consistently encourages ongoing reflection, critical thinking, and responsible risk taking to improve practice and student learning. |
Teacher leader attempts to use some listening skills and coaching stances to facilitate positive and somewhat productive conversations with groups and individuals.
Occasionally encourages ongoing reflection, critical thinking, and responsible risk taking to improve practice and student learning. |
Teacher leader lacks the listening skills and coaching stances to facilitate productive conversations with groups and individuals.
Teacher leader is not skilled at encouraging ongoing reflection, critical thinking, and responsible risk taking to improve practice and student learning. |
| 1.4 Collaborate with other professionals | Teacher leader consistently models, encourages and reinforces clear norms of mutual respect for professional interaction.
Teacher leader uses influence to promote collegiality and a productive learning culture. Teacher leader is actively involved in school and district events and projects. |
Teacher leader models clear norms of mutual respect for professional interaction.
Teacher leader maintains positive relationships with colleagues and participates in district events or projects when specifically requested. |
Teacher leader’s efforts to establish and model norms of professional conduct are partially successful.
Teacher leader maintains cordial relationships with colleagues, but avoids being involved in school and district events and projects. |
| 1.5 Work with administrators to communicate and coordinate efforts | Teacher leader consistently seeks opportunities to meet with building and district level administrators to foster alignment and for role clarification. | Teacher leader makes reasonable attempts to meet with administrators to foster alignment and for role clarification. | Teacher leader does not yet meet with administrators to foster alignment and for role clarification. |
| 1.6 Understands the principles of adult learning | Teacher Leader consistently models and fosters the partnership principles of equality, choice, voice, dialogue, reflection, praxis, and reciprocity. | Teacher Leader is just beginning to implement the partnership principles of equality, choice, voice, dialogue, reflection, praxis, and reciprocity. | Teacher Leader is unfamiliar with the partnership principles of equality, choice, voice, dialogue, reflection, praxis, and reciprocity. |