There are a group of Garfield K-7 teachers engaging in a grade level meeting with the Vice-Principal. This is their weekly gathering to discuss instructional practices and it relies heavily on scholar data available from teacher assessments and district assessments. In a setting where educational private practice is analogous to educational malpractice, Garfield is abolishing isolation-oriented teaching.

Further evidence that instruction is a team process at Garfield: the Vice-Principal and I walk into each classroom with absolutely no fanfare. In my naivete, I am almost offended until I remembered what this signaled: these classrooms are well acclimated to routine observation. Teacher, after teacher, after teacher, when pushed, describe that the most effective professional development they receive -- other than the shared planning/grade level meetings -- is when a respected instructional leader observes their instructional practice and then visits with them about what worked for their scholars and what did not work for their scholars. When done in the spirit of professional growth, scholars' educational achievement and best practice formation, instructional observations develop the craft of teaching -- and our scholars benefit from it. Observing this in action is a remarkable perspective into the culture of faculty & administration at Garfield.