When Jonathan Vander Els connects you with someone you just know it's going to be an incredible conversation. I really enjoyed hearing George Philhower, Superintendent of Eastern Hancock Schools speak about the ways his district is "re-professionalizing teaching". This is conversation number #48 of our #100DistrictConversations initiative - we are almost halfway there!

"Our district has made four promises to our students that inform all of our decisions. We will:

• Design Magical Moments
• Prioritize People
• Inspire Extraordinary Growth
• Focus on the Future

We are working to enhance the high school experience, believing that reinventing the 'end game' will better inform the change process K-12. A key component is defining Essential Standards – the critical learning concepts and success criteria at each grade level. This work leads to rich conversations about how our grading system aligns with Indiana regulations, ensuring grades truly communicate student understanding. We are participating in the ETS & Carnegie Foundation Skills for the Future pilot, exploring methods to test competencies, develop durable skills, and measure what works.

While our Portrait of a Graduate (POG) is relatively new, it includes familiar language like character, service leadership, and work ethic. The challenge for next year is to clearly separate academic skills from the broader proficiencies outlined in the POG, and determine how to measure them. We are also exploring AI to support our POG. ETS has an AI platform where bots can interact with students to assess their understanding of skills like collaboration. We also found a platform called SchoolJoy, which offers similar capabilities.

Another key focus area is teacher evaluation. When asked if our previous evaluation process fostered improvement, the unanimous educator response was 'NO.' We transitioned from a 4-point rubric, which often felt judgmental, to a single-point rubric. Now, teachers set their own growth goals, and observations focus on progress toward those goals rather than assigning a numerical score. We encourage professional learning groups based on shared goals. Our new teacher growth plan template allows teachers to customize goals derived from five key areas:

• High nurture and high structure classrooms
• Clarity of learning intentions
• We know our kids well enough to anticipate the variability in their desire to learn
• We design engaging lessons that our students look forward to participating in
• Responsive and reflective practices

Now in Year 3, this system is yielding positive results. It’s designed to be safe, encouraging teachers to seek help when needed.

I have great empathy for teachers navigating these changes. It's challenging to remain patient while simultaneously inspiring them to embrace necessary shifts. We are re-professionalizing teaching, which demands more intellectual engagement and continuous growth, resulting in a harder job, but less busy work."