Blog

Insights on teacher evaluation, evidence-based feedback, and professional development.

November 2, 20266 min read

Teacher Observation Checklist: A Free Classroom Observation Form

A checklist is most useful before and after a classroom visit, not as something to tick off while the lesson happens. Here is the one I would use, and a simple observation form to go with it.

Rolland Hayden

October 31, 20266 min read

The Instructional Coaching Cycle: How a Teacher Coaching Cycle Works

A coaching cycle is a stretch of focused work between a teacher and a coach: set a goal, try something in the classroom, and look at what changed for students.

Sarah Hayden

October 30, 20265 min read

You’re an Administrator, Not a Stenographer: Rethinking Classroom Observation

A classroom observation asks you to stay present in the room while documenting nearly everything that happens in it. That’s a lot to ask of one person in one class period.

Sarah Hayden

October 27, 20266 min read

Danielson Framework for Teaching: The 4 Domains and 2022 Changes

The Danielson Framework for Teaching organizes teaching into 4 domains and 22 components. Here is how it is structured, what changed in 2022, and how to use it so teachers grow from it.

Sarah Hayden

October 15, 20266 min read

Informal Observations and Classroom Walkthroughs: A Guide for Principals

Informal observations are short, often unannounced classroom visits without the full pre- and post-conference cycle. Done well, they show you what teaching looks like on an ordinary day.

Rolland Hayden

October 7, 20268 min read

AI Teacher Evaluation Tools: 8 Questions to Ask Before You Buy

Districts are buying AI faster than they can vet it, and observation tools carry higher stakes than most: they listen to a room full of children and shape an adult’s employment record. Here are the eight questions I’d ask any vendor, including us.

Julian Pscheid

October 2, 20264 min read

From “Gotcha” to Ground Truth: How Live Transcription Protects Teachers from Evaluator Bias

Ask a veteran teacher about their evaluation history and you’ll usually hear the same story: an administrator typing in the back of the room, and a write-up weeks later that doesn’t match the lesson they taught.

Rolland Hayden

August 18, 20267 min read

AI in Teacher Contracts: What Evaluation Language Should Cover

AI protections are already appearing in teacher contracts, including in evaluation and discipline. The next step is specific rules for how AI is used in observations and evaluation write-ups, agreed with teachers before a pilot rather than after a dispute.

Julian Pscheid

July 27, 20263 min read

Tandem is heading to the 2026 COSA Summer Institute in Eugene

Priorities for the school year get set in the weeks before the first staff meeting. We'll be at the COSA Summer Institute in Eugene on August 3 and 4, talking with Oregon leadership teams about the observation load waiting for them in the fall.

Tandem Education

June 3, 20264 min read

Tandem is heading to COSA to talk about SB 141 and teacher excellence

On Wednesday, June 17, Tandem co-founder Sarah Hayden takes the COSA stage in Seaside with Willamina's superintendent and the Danielson Group, for a session on meeting SB 141's demands without burying the front office in compliance paperwork.

Tandem Education

May 28, 20263 min read

The Power of Thought Partners in Education

I've been observed plenty of times in twenty-two years of teaching. What I remember is a coach who asked one question I couldn't answer. That question changed how I taught more than any rating on any form ever did.

Sarah Hayden

May 13, 20264 min read

What “Doing More With Less” Actually Costs in Teacher Observation

A thorough observation cycle takes two to four hours per teacher. Multiply that by a full staff and the total stops fitting into a principal’s week. So the work gets cut down—and the cost of that compression is real, even if it never shows up on a budget line.

Sarah Hayden

April 8, 20264 min read

Announcing Our Partnership with The Danielson Group

At Tandem Education, our mission has always been to support schools and districts in building evaluation systems that center on educator growth, reflection, and meaningful feedback. Partnering with The Danielson Group is a natural and powerful alignment with that work.

Sarah Hayden

March 31, 202610 min read

Kim Marshall Is Right About AI in Teacher Evaluation. He’s Also Not Going Far Enough.

Marshall drew a sharp line between AI that supports the human work of evaluation and AI that tries to replace it. That distinction is the right one. But “well-crafted” is doing a lot of heavy lifting, and most AI teacher evaluation tools on the market don’t meet the bar.

Julian Pscheid

March 18, 20265 min read

From Good to Intentional: Helping Teachers Become Consciously Skilled

I’ve sat in post-observation conversations with teachers who just delivered an exceptional lesson, and when I ask “What made that work?” they pause. Not because they aren’t talented. Because they haven’t had the opportunity to name what they’re doing well, or why it’s working.

Sarah Hayden

March 4, 20266 min read

Using the Evaluation Rubric as a Tool for Professional Growth

What if the evaluation rubric was not just used as a tool for compliance, but as a common vernacular for best practice? That question shifted how I approached coaching—and it can shift how your school talks about teaching.

Sarah Hayden

February 25, 20265 min read

The Hidden Weight of Teacher Observations: An Administrator’s Reality

Ask any principal what a single observation actually costs them, and the answer is never “one classroom visit.” After sixteen years of evaluating teachers, the process hasn’t gotten any easier.

Rolland Hayden

February 17, 202618 min read

“Human in the Loop” Has Become the AI Safety Equivalent of “Thoughts and Prayers”

There’s a phrase that shows up in nearly every enterprise AI pitch deck: “Don’t worry, there’s a human in the loop.” Except the research on how humans actually interact with AI systems tells a very different story.

Julian Pscheid

February 13, 202615 min read

Your Principals Are Already Using AI to Write Teacher Evaluations. Here’s Why That Should Worry You.

Administrators are sitting in a classroom, taking observation notes, and then pasting those notes into ChatGPT or Google Gemini to help draft their teacher evaluations. They’re not doing it to be reckless. They’re doing it because the current evaluation process is broken.

Julian Pscheid

January 28, 20267 min read

When "You're Doing Great" Isn't Enough

For many years, I was a proficient teacher. My classroom was efficient, students were engaged, and learning was happening. But over time, I realized something was missing. What I wanted was feedback that honored my success and still helped me grow.

Sarah Hayden

January 15, 20265 min read

Why Thoughtful Teacher Feedback Matters

At its best, teacher feedback is not about evaluation or compliance — it's about growth. When feedback is grounded in evidence, delivered with care, and focused on improvement, it becomes one of the most powerful tools for supporting teacher practice.

Sarah Hayden