Thursday Walks? What are they? And Why Does Dr. Palmer take So Many Pictures?

At the welcome back, we did a little skit about Thursday Walks and I'm sure many of you are wondering: What are they? What is the purpose? How often do they happen? My blog today will share the scoop and why our walks are so valuable.

What is the Purpose?

To provide an opportunity for GIPS Executive Cabinet and/or central office members the means to conduct weekly campus visits that allow for the following: 

• Become familiar with campuses
• Observe systems implementation of school and district priorities
• Make connections and build relationships with students, staff, and principals
• Identify possible supports
• Inform principal leadership actions
• Celebrate learning

How do Walks work?

Each week, two campuses/sites are scheduled for visits.  All campuses rotate through before beginning the next round. Visits to special programs such as OMB, Workforce Development Academy, and the Welcome Center are also built into this calendar.  The schedule is posted and published on the district calendar prior to the beginning of the school year. Campus principals receive a reminder about the visits at least 2 days prior.

Once we arrive on campus, the principal shares what he/she would like the cabinet members to look for relative to current continuous improvement focus areas and the district priorities (Equity, SEL, Attendance) during observations. To ensure we align with what you are already doing, the look-fors also connect to the Marzano Conditions for Learning which encompass SEL and Equity elements within the Framework.

Following walks, we meet with the principal to learn about celebrations, discuss topics of his/her interest, share observations based on identified look fors and discuss leadership actions that will continue to move the school improvement plan forward. We want to be a support and a resource for continued growth towards goals.

How are classroom visits determined?

Classroom visits are randomly selected. We select at least two or three classrooms within a 15-20 minute window. We know that we only catch a short snapshot of instruction and keep this in mind in our debriefing.

Why do they take so many pictures?
Pictures capture the great things you are doing in your classrooms and at your campus and we want to tweet it out! The pictures are also helpful in the debrief when we describe examples of the principal look-fors. AND of course, the students are our WHY! As a GIPS Cabinet, we love the opportunity to participate in school visits and appreciate all you do to ensure Every Student, Every Day, a Success!

"Seeing is Believing"!