Effective instructional leadership requires intentional observation practices, purposeful feedback, thoughtful use of data, and routines that protect time for the work that matters most.

The Network for Educator Effectiveness provides practical strategies to support and strengthen each part of instructional leadership.

Part 1: Observations

Establish a Plan

Successful NEE implementation begins with establishing a clear plan for observations:

  1. Select your focus indicators.
  2. Introduce the rubrics for each focus indicator to teachers.
  3. Create an observation template for your focus indicators.
  4. Schedule time for observations on your calendar.

These initial steps help ensure teachers understand the instructional practices being emphasized, leaders have a consistent structure for gathering evidence, and observations are intentionally incorporated into the school calendar.

Scoring Practices

NEE recommends several important practices during and after observations:

  1. Gather all evidence before assigning a score. Focus on the instructional practices being observed rather than getting distracted by the scoring process.
  2. Start with a score of 3 on the NEE observation rubric, and move up or down the rubric based on the evidence.
  3. Use the left side of the rubric to identify a tentative score.
  4. Use the right side of the rubric (the examples of evidence and look-fors) to finalize the score.
  5. Score each indicator separately. Evidence from one indicator should not influence the score of another indicator.

Part 2: Feedback

Feedback makes the difference in improving instruction. Without it, observations become a compliance exercise rather than a growth experience.

It is important to remember that feedback is not the same for every teacher or situation. NEE trains leaders on effective feedback practices using the Guide to Effective Feedback Conversations and the Four Paths to Effective Feedback to tailor feedback based on teachers’ needs and the desired outcome. The use of impact statements further supports teacher growth.

Feedback should help teachers understand the evidence collected, reflect on their decisions, and determine how to strengthen their practice.

Shift the Focus from Scores

A common challenge in evaluation conversations occurs when teachers focus more on their numeric scores than on the feedback itself.

Leaders can redirect the conversation by focusing on the evidence and remembering the score is shorthand for the rubric language and its look-fors.

Rather than allowing the conversation to revolve around whether a score is high or low, help the teacher examine what the evidence says, what the teacher is learning, and what the next steps should be.

Part 3: Using Data

NEE data help building leaders move beyond individual observations and examine patterns across their schools.

Two specific reports are useful for reviewing evaluation trends: the Indicator Trend Report and the Building Activity Report. Both are available under the Status Reports section of the NEE Data Tool menu.

The Indicator Trend Report provides a district-wide line graph demonstrating performance on observations using an average score for each indicator used in observations by month. The report can be filtered for more specific data.

The Building Activity Report provides the number of observations, UOI scorings, and PD plan scorings completed for each teacher.

The recommended process for working with these reports follows three steps:

  1. Identify trends. Determine what the reports reveal about instructional practices, observation activity, and areas that may require additional attention.
  2. Analyze evidence. Consider what the evidence suggests, what additional context may be needed, and what conversations with teachers or other leaders could help clarify the findings.
  3. Monitor and adjust. Use the information to determine next steps, then continue monitoring progress and adjust actions as needed.

Part 4: Time Management and Routines

Even when building leaders understand effective observation and feedback practices, finding time to carry them out can be a challenge.

School leaders must balance instructional responsibilities with the managerial tasks required to keep a building operating effectively. Without intentional planning, urgent administrative work can crowd out classroom observations, feedback preparation, and instructional conversations.

The following tips are designed to help leaders create routines that protect time for instructional leadership.

  1. Establish a weekly review. Every week, examine the instructional leadership responsibilities that need attention. NEE Implementation Timelines are available in the Help and Resources area and can help leaders plan for evaluation-related responsibilities and deadlines. Schedule non-negotiable blocks of time for these activities in the week ahead. The objective is not to ignore operational responsibilities. It is to prevent them from consistently taking precedence over the work of improving teaching and learning.
  2. Establish a daily plan. A weekly plan establishes direction, but daily planning helps leaders stay focused as unexpected tasks arise. A variety of strategies can help with daily planning:

    The Big 3: Identify three meaningful tasks to complete each day.

    Eat the Frog: Tackle the task you dread the most first

    10-Minute Rule: When struggling to begin a task, commit to working on it for just 10 minutes. Often, once you get started, you can keep going.
  3. Avoid being busy without making progress. Not every activity that fills the day contributes meaningfully to instructional goals. Leaders should identify tasks that consume time without advancing those goals and develop a plan for addressing them. Can certain activities be approached differently?
  4. Organize digital files so they are easy to find. Time management also includes reducing the time spent searching for information. Use a clear folder structure to organize files, and establish consistent naming conventions.

Effective Instructional Leadership

Effective instructional leadership requires a plan for classroom observations, feedback, reviewing data, and time management.

NEE provides school leaders with a framework for making classroom observations more purposeful, feedback more meaningful, and daily routines more manageable.

Ultimately, the goal is not simply to complete observations, assign scores, or meet evaluation deadlines. It is to use the evaluation process to help teachers understand their practice, strengthen their instructional decisions, and continue growing over time.

This blog was written with the support of AI, and the information is based on a NEE webinar held September 29, 2026, for NEE building leaders.

Aaron Jones, Ed.D., is a trainer and field support representative for the Network for Educator Effectiveness. He joined NEE in 2024 after spending more than 30 years in K-12 education as a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent.

The Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) is a simple yet powerful comprehensive system for educator evaluation that helps educators grow, students learn, and schools improve. Developed by preK-12 practitioners and experts at the University of Missouri, NEE brings together classroom observation, student feedback, teacher curriculum planning, and professional development as measures of effectiveness in a secure online portal designed to promote educator growth and development.