What Makes Classroom Observation Feedback Useful: The Perceptions of Secondary Math and English Teachers

Teachers (n=14) at four high schools in North Carolina were interviewed about their perspectives on evaluation at two time points during the 2016-2017 school year. This study specifically examines statements teachers made about feedback from observations in de-identified interview transcripts. Teachers discussed feedback from formal observations along with other sources of informal observational feedback (e.g. coaches, peers). Overall, teachers described useful feedback as that which provided actionable recommendations informed by the observer’s knowledge of three domains: the classroom context (as aided by the frequency and timing of observations), subject area, and pedagogy. Teachers also identified two aspects of formal evaluation that interfered with feedback: breadth of the observational standards and use as a growth measure.