The Reliability of Classroom Observations by School Personnel

From Arkansas to Massachusetts, California to Ohio, districts across the country are making incredible progress in boosting student achievement and increasing teacher effectiveness.

It has been thrilling from day one—in August of 2007—when I was hired as the director of the K-12 Education team. The team was given one year to assess the foundation’s work and propose a strategy for the next phase. We were given this advice:  when you take on a cause where government is spending a lot of money, philanthropy can make the biggest impact by finding a strategic lever that others are missing.

In 2009, through the Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching initiative, we invested in three school districts: Hillsborough County Public Schools, Florida; Memphis City Schools, Tennessee; and Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pennsylvania, and a group of charter management organizations (CMOs).