Blog

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

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