Travis Bender

Veteran teachers don’t struggle with feedback because they’re unwilling to grow. The issue is the system treats a first-year teacher and a 20-year teacher the same. That doesn’t make sense. A new teacher is building a foundation. They need structure, modeling, and direct feedback. A veteran teacher is in a different place. They’ve taught thousands of lessons, worked with hundreds of students, and refined their craft. They need someone who can challenge them and understand their level. But the system applies the same rubric, checklist, and process to everyone. And it’s not working. Large-scale evaluation reforms haven’t shown meaningful gains in student achievement. In another study, only about one in four teachers said feedback actually improved their teaching. That should tell us something. The strongest research points elsewhere. Instructional coaching shows significant improvement in both teaching and student outcomes. Why? It’s ongoing, specific, and grounded in real classrooms. It meets teachers where they are. That’s the difference. You can standardize evaluation, but you can’t standardize growth. We’ve tried to fix weak feedback by making it more standardized. The problem isn’t the form. It’s the fit. This isn’t about administrators doing something wrong. Most are doing what they’ve been asked to do. The system just doesn’t match the complexity of the work. A veteran teacher doesn’t need more boxes checked. They need someone who understands what they’re trying to do and can think with them at a high level. Evaluation should be less about judging and more about helping. More aspirational. More conversational. Not “Here’s what to fix,” but: What are you working on? What’s been effective? Where do you want to grow? Because growth is voluntary. You can require evaluation, but you can’t force improvement. That comes down to credibility and relevance. Teachers act on feedback when they believe the person giving it understands their work, content, and students. That’s why coaching works. It’s ongoing, specific, and built around real practice. It creates ownership, not compliance. Veteran teachers don’t ignore feedback because they think they know everything. They ignore feedback that doesn’t match their level. After enough years, you learn to filter what helps from what just checks a box. Because growth isn’t one-size-fits-all. And pretending it is doesn’t make it better. It just makes it look more organized. References: National Bureau of Economic Research American Educational Research Association / American Educational Research Journal Review of Educational Research