PMP494: Rethinking Walkthroughs with Mark Shellinger

A Quick Note to Listeners:

Before this week’s interview, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is:

What are some rules of thumb I should keep in mind if I’m on an interview committee?

Listen in to hear their repsonse!

Meet Mark Shellinger:

Mark Shellinger is a returning guest to Principal Matters. He is the founder and director of the National SAM Innovation Project, a nonprofit helping school leaders reclaim their time for what matters most: teaching and learning.

Mark began his career as a teacher, later serving as a principal and superintendent before developing the SAM process in 2005, a system designed to help principals shift from managing tasks to leading instruction.

Under his leadership, NSIP now supports more than 1,200 schools across the country, giving leaders the tools and coaching they need to spend less time on paperwork and more time with people. Mark’s passion is simple but powerful: helping every educator and every student thrive.

Mark was a guest on the podcast back in September of 2024. You can check out that episode here to learn more about the SAM process.

Walkthroughs with a Purpose:

Mark shares what leaders tend to misunderstand about the purpose of walkthroughs and how to make them more meaningful. He talks about how school leaders often make the assumption that merely being in the classroom improves teacher practice. However, research shows that classroom presence doesn’t improve teaching practices unless it is paired with feedback or rich conversation to help the teacher figure out how to be better. Many principals confuse teacher observation or the formal observation system with improving teacher practice. Mark recommends that principals consider their intention when going to see teachers teach. One example he gives of a way to spend time in classrooms that improves teacher practices is by working with students while in classrooms. Working with students allows the principal to see the lesson in a different way and gives the principal something real to talk with their teachers about during followup.

Post-walkthrough Conversation:

Teachers improve the most after walkthroughs when their principals have an effective post-walkthrough conversation with them. Many teachers walk away from conversations with their principals feeling confused because of a lack of clarity. When using the SAM system, principals can utilize the tools available to them to ensure clarity in their post-walkthrough conversations. After a walkthrough, the SAM encourages the principal to reflect on the walkthrough and think about what kind of feedback they want to give the teacher. The SAM system provides four different walkthrough types and four different feedback types. They are able to track the feedback and walkthrough types used with each teacher to help the principal find different ways to reach teachers. 

Work with Students:

SAM principals are encouraged to use a work with students approach in which leaders step in as a teaching assistant. Mark talks about how building relationships with students can be used to help teachers improve. An example he gives is that some SAM principals will give students lunch tickets during their walkthrough. The students then sit with their principal at lunch and talk about their experiences in the classroom. The principal can then use that feedback to find ways to help teachers improve their practices.

Staying Connected:

You can learn more about Mark Shellinger and the SAM project by visiting samprocess.com

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