At its best, teacher feedback is not about evaluation or compliance—it's about growth. When feedback is grounded in evidence, delivered with care, and focused on improvement, it becomes one of the most powerful tools for supporting teacher practice. Meaningful feedback helps teachers reflect, refine their craft, and ultimately strengthen learning experiences for students.
Here are three ways thoughtful feedback supports teacher growth:
1. Feedback Builds Clarity
Teachers are constantly making hundreds of instructional decisions each day. Specific, evidence based feedback helps clarify what is working in the classroom and where small adjustments can make a big difference. Clear feedback moves beyond general praise or critique and instead highlights concrete moments of practice that teachers can reflect on and build from. When feedback is tied to specific, observable moments—such as how a questioning technique engaged students at 10:15 AM or how a transition strategy maintained momentum—it becomes actionable and memorable.
2. Feedback Supports Reflection and Professional Learning
Effective feedback invites reflection rather than defensiveness. When teachers have the opportunity to reflect on their practice with a trusted partner, they are more likely to identify next steps and take ownership of their growth. Feedback that is timely and focused encourages ongoing professional learning rather than one-time improvement.
3. Feedback Strengthens Practice Over Time
Growth doesn't happen overnight. Consistent feedback helps teachers track progress, refine strategies, and deepen their instructional impact over time. When feedback is connected to clear goals and revisited regularly, it supports sustained improvement and builds confidence in practice.
Thoughtful feedback honors the complexity of teaching and recognizes that growth is a process. When observation and feedback are used as tools for learning—not judgment—they create the conditions for teachers to thrive and for classrooms to flourish.
Yet despite knowing feedback should be evidence-based and focused on growth, administrators face a practical barrier: the current evaluation process is extraordinarily time-intensive. When observation requires 2-4 hours per teacher—from classroom observation to rubric alignment to report writing—it becomes nearly impossible to deliver this level of thoughtful feedback at scale. The challenge isn't that administrators don't value growth-focused feedback; it's that the system they work within makes it difficult to provide consistently.