Can classroom visits really make a difference if I'm the only administrator in my building?
Yes — and in some ways, being the only administrator makes the practice even more important. You don't have the luxury of dividing responsibilities with an AP. If you're not in classrooms, nobody is.
The irony is that solo administrators often feel they have less time for classroom visits because they're handling everything else too. But the opposite is true: being in classrooms regularly actually reduces some of the problems that consume your time. Teachers feel more supported and come to you with fewer complaints. You catch instructional issues earlier, before they become crises. Discipline issues may decrease as your regular presence becomes part of the school's rhythm.
Three visits per day is roughly 30 minutes. You spend that much time on email threads that could have waited. The question isn't whether you have the time — it's whether you'll protect it.
I address the scheduling and habit challenges specific to solo administrators throughout Now We're Talking!, especially Days 6 and 10.
From the Book
Now We’re Talking! 21 Days to High-Performance Instructional Leadership
About the Author
Justin Baeder, PhD
Justin Baeder, PhD is Director of The Principal Center, where he helps senior leaders in K–12 organizations build capacity for instructional leadership. A former principal in Seattle Public Schools, he is the creator of the Instructional Leadership Challenge, which has helped more than 10,000 school leaders in 50 countries around the world:
- Confidently get into classrooms every day
- Have feedback conversations that change teacher practice
- Discover their best opportunities for school improvement
Dr. Baeder directs the Instructional Leadership Association, the premiere professional membership for school leaders, and is the author of three Solution Tree books on instructional leadership:
- Now We’re Talking! 21 Days to High-Performance Instructional Leadership
- Mapping Professional Practice: How to Develop Instructional Frameworks to Support Teacher Growth (with Heather Bell-Williams)
- Cultivate and Activate: Building Teacher Capacity for Instructional Leadership (with Keith Fickel)
Justin is the host of Principal Center Radio, a long-running audio podcast featuring more than 400 education thought leaders and more than 500 books, as well as The Teaching Show and The Eduleadership Show. A prolific education commentator, he has more than 250,000 followers and 30,000,000 annual impressions on social media, and is frequently consulted by major media outlets on issues of education research, policy, and practice.
As a consultant, trainer, and speaker, Dr. Baeder has worked onsite with groups across the US, Canada, and Central America, and virtually with groups across the Middle East, Australia, and around the world. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, and regularly provides administrator professional development on classroom walkthroughs, teacher evaluation, and instructional leadership.
He holds a PhD in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Washington and an MEd in Curriculum & Instruction from Seattle University, and is a graduate of the Danforth Program for Educational Leadership at UW.