I am on a “what does Google have to share with a K12 school” kick. Today, via a Tweet from IDEO, I saw this post from David Garvin of the Harvard Business School with a summary of the semi-annual feedback that Google managers get from their direct reports. Check it out. What can schools learn from this? A lot.
On my EdJourney I learned that effectively innovating schools are hiring employees with a different set of skills than just five years ago. In the past, teachers, for example, have been screened primarily for previous experience, command of subject, and the ability to manage a classroom of students. School leaders now tell me they are looking first for evidence of past creativity and collaborative teamwork…much the same as the “Googliness” that Google is looking for via their highly rigorous, data-driven hiring practices.
After the hiring process, what does review and assessment look like at most schools? Do they help amplify the same characteristics we hire for? Dave Monaco and this team at Parish Episcopal in Dallas, for example, have completely re-drawn employee assessment practices based on a paradigm of life-long learning and growth mindset; our colleagues at Poway’s Design 39 Campus are adapting that model to a public school, union environment.
Can we take this Google example, adapt it to school management, and design a similar practice for classroom teachers? Of course we can. Would I have LOVED to have this kind of feedback as a senior school administrator? Absolutely. Will we remain afraid/unable to include student feedback in this process? Hopefully not. Do you have this already in place and care to share with other schools? Let us know!
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