Some of the most compelling reasons to practice reflective feedback come from the TNTP study called The Irreplaceables, which focuses on the real retention crisis:  failure to retain the right teachers. The study’s conclusions demand our attention with regard to feedback. Defined, the irreplaceables are “teachers who are so successful they are nearly impossible to replace, but too often vanish from schools as the result of neglect and inattention.” Here are the startling stats:

• “On average, they help students learn 2-3 additional months’ worth of math and reading compared with the average teacher, AND 5-6 months when compared to low-achieving teachers.”
• “When one (an irreplaceable) leaves a low-achieving school, it can take 11 hires to find just one teacher of comparable quality.”
• Lesson learned: “Good teachers don’t leave demanding schools that hold them to high expectations; they leave schools that aren’t serious about good teaching.”
• Two-thirds of the leaving teachers reported that no one encouraged them to return for another year.
• Of the eight simple, low-cost strategies identified to help boost teacher retention, giving feedback or public recognition (status) for a job well done was at the top of the list.

With clear evidence from the section above addressing “why?” feedback is an essential skill for our success as leaders, let’s focus on “how” to perfect this skill. Based on the work of David Perkins, there are two options for reflective feedback:

1. Value/value potential statements
2. Reflective questions for possibility including any clarifying questions, if necessary

Value/Value Potential Statements. This option reinforces, builds and preserves the positive features, such as, thinking, beliefs, actions, behaviors, and impact. It is recognizable because, in essence, it is an eloquent paraphrase. One distinction we make is the difference between value and value potential. Value is what I see in the present, right before me. Value potential refers to the impact that will be realized in the future as the result of my intention in the present. An example is what we might say after visiting a first-grade classroom where the teacher is using small reading groups as a way to teach and monitor progress in reading. A sample value statement would be, “Your commitment to building strong readers is evident in the way you work with them in small groups.” A value potential statement takes it into the future where we cannot see what might happen, yet we can predict it. “Your commitment to building strong readers in first grade will create successful students throughout their career as learners.” Attributes of this option are:

• Presumes positive intent
• Purpose is to recognize and reinforce what is seen in the present or future
• Replaces vague statements such as “I like”, “Wow!”, and “Good job!”
• Specific and measurable
• Sincere and genuine

A value/value potential statement is the antidote to the startling statistics in The Irreplaceables report mentioned at the beginning of this article. This is the way we ensure teachers know the value and contribution they make on a regular basis. We promote generosity with this option of feedback. It breaks our hearts when we hear stories from the field where highly competent and caring teachers are leaving our profession because no one is giving them feedback on their hard work. Here are some language possibilities for how to motivate and inspire our teachers to remain in our profession.

Sample language:

• Your high standards invite students to be the best they can be academically.
• Because you want all of your students to succeed, you regularly analyze benchmark data to monitor the progress of each one.
• As a teacher who is passionate about literature, you want your students to share that love.
• Your commitment to reaching each student is evident in your differentiation strategies.
• Your understanding of the new math standards is clearly impacting your team planning.
• Your turn – ____________________________
• Your turn – ____________________________

Reflective Questions for Possibility including Clarifying Questions, if necessary. This option communicates concerns and considerations toward improvement to include any clarifications of an idea, event, name or action to be certain we are talking about the same thing.

Clarifying questions are not always necessary. Yet, they can be helpful to gain additional information before asking a reflective question. They presume positive intent and can be answered quickly. Examples include:

• How many children are in the class?
• Of your 20 students, how many were off task?
• What time of the day does this behavior show up?
• What does the code of conduct say about this situation?
• When is your collaborative planning time?
• When does your team meet when they are doing their best work?
• Your turn – ____________________________
• Your turn – ____________________________

Reflective questions for possibility mediate and support our thinking for consideration of new ideas or possibilities yet explored. They are an invitation to excellence in our work and in our performance. Many a principal has recognized the value of these questions for all teachers and especially their talented, committed master teachers who are often overlooked. The attributes of these questions are:

• Presumes positive intent
• Open ended – cannot be answered yes or no
• Purpose is to provoke thinking for possibility; not leading
• Future focused
• Require time for thinking

Sample language:

• Because you are a teacher who considers each student individually, what are you thinking will get the best from Sam?
• How is your team addressing this discrepancy between where the kids are now and where we want them to be by December?
• Based on our low performance results in science, what plan is in place to ensure we show gains this year?
• Given your knowledge of math standards, what are you noticing about your student’s ability to transfer from concrete to abstract?
• Knowing that parent communication is vital to healthy school cultures, what new ways are you thinking about for engaging parents in meaningful ways?
• Your turn – ____________________________
• Your turn – ____________________________