In anticipation of our upcoming workshop Effective Documentation of Teachers, we sat down with our two co-presenters from TASB HR Services.
This week, we’re excited to introduce you to Karen Dooley, TASB Senior HR Consultant. Please read more about Karen’s work and why she believes a strong understanding of documentation is essential to the success of educators.
And don’t forget to register for the workshop, coming up on February 19th in Houston!
Karen: As a Senior HR Consultant with TASB HR Services, I provide support to our members (school districts, ESCs, and community colleges) regarding HR issues. I conduct staffing reviews and HR operations reviews across the state. I write articles on HR related topics for our HR blog. I conduct full-day trainings at ESCs and in school districts. I present at conferences at the state and national level.
Q: As an expert in teacher documentation, please explain why the documentation process is so crucial to educators and school administrators.
Karen: HR departments should support educators and school administrators. Teacher documentation is a tool that is used to grow teachers and improve performance. From the campus administrative perspective, it provides the foundation for coaching educators to better serve students. HR should ensure the most effective teachers are in their district’s classrooms. In order to accomplish this task, a documentation process must be in place and used with fidelity.
Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing educators and administrators in the area of teacher documentation?
Karen: Teacher documentation can be an overwhelming process if approached as something that “has to be done” as opposed to attacking it from the perspective of using it for its benefits. Work on the front-side can solve potential problems in the future. I think the biggest challenge is using the tool as it is designed and not treating it as an unnecessary task. Failure to use a documentation process as it is intended is detrimental to student learning.
Q: What do you hope participants will gain from this workshop?
Karen: First and foremost, I hope participants understand the purpose for documentation and will understand the benefits of it far outweigh the “trouble” of doing it. As educators, student performance is the number one goal and the only way it can improve is through effective teaching practices. The practices can be impacted through the documentation process. I think the training will provide support for a campus administrator to effectively use documentation to enhance employee performance.