Three-Minute Classroom Walk-Through

Carolyn J. Downey is professor emeritus of educational leadership in the College of Education at San Diego State University. She formerly was the superintendent for the Kyrene School District, Phoenix-Tempe, Arizona. Downey has written several books and numerous articles. She is the author of the training program "The Three-Minute Walk-Through and Reflective Feedback for Higher Student Achievement." Her most recent book with Betty E. Steffy, William K. Poston Jr., and Fenwick W. English is 50 Ways to Close the Achievement Gap. She was the major architect of the CMSI Individual School Audit using the 50 Characteristics for Higher Student Achievement. She is the author of several of the Principal-Teacher Series for Higher Student Achievement training materials. She received her MS from the University of Southern California and her PhD from Arizona State University. Betty E. Steffy is a retired professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Iowa State University. She formerly was a dean of a School of Education at a regional campus of Purdue University and served as deputy superintendent of instruction in the Kentucky Department of Education. She served as a superintendent of schools in New Jersey and as a director of curriculum for a regional educational agency in Pennsylvania. She created the professional development model entitled Life Cycle of the Career Teacher. She is the author/coauthor of ten books in education and numerous articles and symposium papers at UCEA and AERA. She earned her BA, MAT, and EdD from the University of Pittsburgh. Fenwick W. English (Ph.D.) is the R. Wendell Eaves Senior Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a position he has held since 2001. As a scholar/practitioner he has held positions as a school principal and superintendent of schools in California and New York and as a department chair, dean, and vice-chancellor of academic affairs at universities in Ohio and Indiana. He is the former President of the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA) and of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA). His research has been reported in national and international academic forums. He edited the 2006 SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration, the 2009 SAGE Library of Educational Thought and Practice: Educational Leadership and Administration; and the 2011 SAGE Handbook of Educational Leadership (2nd Ed.). In 2013, he received the Living Legend Award from NCPEA for his lifetime contribution to the field of educational leadership.Larry E. Frase was professor and department chair of educational leadership in the College of Education at San Diego State University. He was a former superintendent of schools of the Catalina Foothills District in Tucson, Arizona, and is the author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books and 80 professional journal articles. His books include Top Ten Myths in Education; School Management by Wandering Around; and Teacher Compensation and Motivation. He is also coauthor of Walk-Throughs and Reflective Feedback for Higher Student Achievement. He has presented papers at AERA and UCEA. He is a senior lead auditor, having led curriculum audits of 32 school systems, including Oakland, California, and Baltimore, Maryland. Frase earned his EdD at Arizona State University. Learn more about William Poston′s PD offeringsWilliam K. Poston Jr. is an Emeritus Professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, where he served for 17 years. A former math and physics teacher, he accumulated 25 years of experience in educational administration including 15 years as a superintendent in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, and in Billings, Montana. His experience includes serving as executive director of the Iowa School Business Management Academy—the licensure program for school business managers in Iowa—for 15 years. He is the originator of curriculum-driven budgeting, and he has led over 75 curriculum audits. Poston has written 13 books and over 40 journal articles and continues to provide extensive service to schools in the areas of evaluation, curriculum management auditing, performance-based budgeting, and organizational quality improvement.

"The book is easy to read and easy to understand. The information is practical and provides an excellent resource for administrators who are truly interested in improving instruction."

• PrefaceAbout the AuthorsDedication1. Understanding the Rationale Underlying the Walk-Through and Reflective Practice ApproachWhat is the Downey Walk-Through?Why Walk-Throughs?The Evolution of the Downey Walk-Through Process2. Conducting the Walk-Through Observation: A Five-Step ProcessThe Five-Step Observation StructureStep 1: Student Orientation to WorkStep 2: Curricular Decision PointsStep 3: Instructional Decision PointsStep 4: "Walk the Walls" - Curricular and Instructional DecisionsStep 5: Safety and Health Issues3. Moving Staff to Reflective Inquiry: Focusing on the Reflective Question and ConversationHow Do We Provide Direct Feedback?The NoteA Better Approach-DiscussionDirect Feedback Statement and ConversationHow Do We Provide Indirect Opportunities for Reflective Inquiry?How Do We Ask Reflective Questions and Carry On the Conversation?How Do We Ask Reflective Questions and Carry On the Conversation?The Reflective Conversation4. Constructing a Taxonomy of Reflective Questions and Their Use in the Classroom Walk-ThroughThe Novice/ApprenticeThe Professional TeacherThe Expert TeacherLimitations of the Taxonomy5. Establishing Logistical Procedures for Implementing the Walk-Through ProcessFinding the TimePreparing Staff, Students, and ParentsRecord KeepingBoard Policy to Support Walk-Throughs6. Cultivating the Culture: Effectuating Change that WorksLessons Learned About Change in Educational CulturesChallenges and Barriers to ChangeDeciding When to Intervene: The Marginal TeacherExamples of Successful Implementation: Making the Walk-Through Process WorkSalinas Union High School District, CaliforniaNorman Public Schools, Norman, OklahomaDurham and Simco County School Boards, Ontario, CanadaNapa Valley Schools, Napa Valley, CaliforniaShawnee Mission School District, Shawnee Mission, KansasColumbia-Brazoria Independent School District, TexasSan Leandro Unified School District, CaliforniaSan Benito County, California, County Office of EducationCultivating the Culture: A Final Word7. Using the Walk-Through Process to Promote a Collaborative, Reflective CultureEarly HistoryDevelopmental Supervision and MentoringThe Teacher as an Adult LearnerPromoting Development8. Determining Whether Walk-Throughs Are the Right StuffBackground and History of Management by Wandering AroundWhy Are Both a Research and a Theory Base Needed Before Adopting An Innovation?The MBWA Research ResultsThe Walk-Through with Reflective Question Research9. Understanding the Walk-Through as a Discursive PracticeExamining the Dimensions of the Walk-ThroughChanging the Discursive Practice of "Corrective" SupervisionSome Issues With the ModelA Pause to Consider Your Specific SituationTroubleshooting Problems with the Downey Walk-Through10. Linking the Walk-Through Process to a Model of Teacher GrowthWalk-Throughs and the Teacher Growth ModelThe ModelTransformative Learning as it Relates to the ModelOrganizational Learning and TransformationProviding Feedback Conversation for GrowthIndex