Effective Communication Needs Common Language and Goals

Lindsay Vieira and Dean Auriemma

We all know that school leadership is no simple task. And we also know that no school leader works in isolation. From principals to teacher leaders, coaches, and instructional specialists, effective schools are guided by any number of formal and informal leaders working together to enhance student and professional learning. Since these professionals have different (and often multiple) roles and responsibilities, communication is essential. So, how can schools ensure that all leaders are communicating effectively and keeping the school on the right path? By making sure that everyone—teachers, administrators, and support staff—uses a common language to work toward common goals.

The first step is establishing a common language for talking about teaching and learning. For many schools and districts, this language will be embedded in their chosen method for evaluating teacher and principal effectiveness. If the staff has bought into the evaluation model and the process connects to best practices, focuses on learning, and looks meaningfully at specific instructional indicators and relevant student behaviors, then that model should serve as the foundation for a common language. If, however, the evaluation process is based on compliance, or if staff feel as if the chosen model doesn't provide adequate depth, feedback, or guidance for professional growth, then regroup. A common language cannot be built on mere compliance. If your evaluation process is not honoring critical classroom input and cannot serve as the basis for a common language in the school, you must find one that meets these criteria.

To maximize the effectiveness of communication, a common language should permeate all levels of the school—from classroom instruction to professional learning to building-level leadership. While it is helpful to have a language that reflects the ideals of your chosen evaluation process, all organizations need common goals to be truly effective.

As a concept, "setting common goals" may sound simplistic. But in many districts, these common goals are often set by painting a picture of progress with quick, broad strokes. For leaders and teachers at the school level to thoughtfully consider district-level goals, these goals need to be refined and, more importantly, aligned with data gathered from classrooms. School leaders need to first demonstrate to teachers how the common school goals (established, in part, through meaningful principal and teacher evaluation) support the district goals. The next step is for school leaders to work with teachers—using a common language—to develop teacher-by-teacher professional development goals that will, in turn, support the common goals of the school.

For example, in the Morris Plains School District in New Jersey, we have chosen to use a common language from The Thoughtful Classroom Teacher Effectiveness Framework, because our administrators use it to evaluate teachers. Since adopting this framework, we have used every communication avenue available to expose, explain, and expand the common language provided. Faculty meetings now provide opportunities to share new instructional tools and strategies to help students deepen their understanding, while quarterly review meetings help us focus on our common school goals (Where is this teacher in meeting the common school goal? What strategies is the teacher using? What does the teacher still need to learn? And what tools and support can we provide?). Each of these meetings has a common theme and result in deepening the common language of our school community. Professional development focuses only on those things that support both our common goals and the Thoughtful Classroom Framework we all work with.

By developing a set of common goals that all teachers understand and by giving teachers a common language to discuss and measure their progress towards these goals, all school and district leaders can work together to promote student learning and professional growth at the highest levels.

Lindsay Vieira is the principal and curriculum director in the Morris Plains School District. Dean Auriemma is an educational consultant with The Thoughtful Classroom™.

ASCD Express, Vol. 10, No. 15. Copyright 2015 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.