How to Make Teacher Collaboration More Effective

In many schools, teachers meet regularly to collaborate. The real impact comes when that learning shows up in classrooms.

Teacher collaboration can be one of the most powerful drivers of instructional improvement, but only when meetings are intentionally designed and grounded in evidence of student learning. To make collaboration most effective for student success, leaders must guide teams from analysis of student work to producing changes in classroom instruction.

Designed to be used alongside a full teacher collaborative learning “Cluster” video, this companion guide helps instructional leaders reflect on and strengthen their collaborative meetings. The video offers a research-based example of a leader guiding teachers to review student work and plan how to teach an inference strategy aligned to their reading curriculum. Through clear modeling, teachers develop a shared understanding of how to support students in making inferences and leave with a practical plan for upcoming lessons.

View the Companion Guide

Access to video examples helps leaders move from searching for ideas to intentionally strengthening their practice, as shared by NIET Fellow Dominique O’Conner in Louisiana. Through NIET’s Educator Effectiveness Preparation and Support System (EE PASS), leaders can engage with practical, research-based resources that support reflection and stronger teacher collaboration throughout the year.

When I’m planning with my principal or talking through instructional trends, the examples and clarity I’ve gained from EE PASS help us get aligned more quickly. It gives us a shared sense of what effective instruction entails, which makes it easier to support teachers consistently and strengthen our overall coaching approach.

Dominique O’Conner, Dean of Instruction and NIET Fellow, South Baton Rouge Charter Academy