anita taylor

Victoria ISD is committed to making instructional decisions that support students in finding their “&”, and aligning professional growth initiatives to support our staff in “finding their genius”.  Growth is the metric that is the equalizer for all, especially after a school year so greatly impacted by the pandemic. One of the many ways we are encouraging the growth of our instructional staff, which includes teachers, instructional coaches, assistant principals, principals and district instructional leadership, is the “Glow and Grow.”   

The Glow and Grow is a non-evaluative, coaching conversation based on a learning walk conducted by members of campus or district leadership teams that builds teacher and leader capacity by reflecting on their practice. A “Glow and Grow” consists of a positive area of reinforcement, reflective questions and a small action step that can be implemented in a short period of time, often the next day. The coach leading the Glow and Grow conversation is thoughtful in their affirmation while carefully selecting a question leading the team member to their area of growth. Collectively, the coach and team member agree on an action step supporting the growth opportunity.   

The previous Glow and Grow form was done on triplicate paper and has now been upgraded to a digital form. With the addition of some formatting and coding, the team member and coach both receive an immediate, digital, PDF copy of the Glow and Grow feedback upon submission. Submissions also generate qualitative and quantitative data to be employed in professional development and support initiatives based on campus and district trends. This real-time coaching tool is being utilized across all campuses and will allow for meaningful growth opportunities for both the coach and team member. Many districts conduct walkthroughs or learning walks, but the process falls short as the conversation does not follow the walk. The power of the “walk” comes from the conversation and the commitment to recognizing and reinforcing our staff to inspire authentic improvement and support. 

The November 2022 Administration Report shared that by the report date, 706 Glow and Grow conversations have occurred across the district. Specifically, 22% of conversations have been held around classroom management and learning environment, another 22% of conversations were held around planning and preparation, 15% of conversations were held around instructional delivery, and another 15% were held around student engagement/purposeful talk. 

First semester cumulative data showed that 1,207 Glow and Grow conversations have occurred across the district. Semester trends were similar to what was reported during the November Administration Report, which allowed district and campus leaders to align their professional development endeavors to provide support to teachers. According to the quantitative data received from the first semester’s submission, the two areas of focus for the professional development conducted on Jan. 3, 2022, were “Planning and Preparation” and “Instructional Delivery”. Together, these two areas of focus made up 39% of the Glow and Grow conversation conducted during the first semester. 

As a district, we continue to closely monitor the trends within each campus, grade bands and district to provide support in growing greatness as our instructional staff builds on their “genius”.