This two-day seminar is built around the SchoolView, a diagnostic data-gathering tool that principals and other school leaders can use to gather trend data regarding curricular and instructional practices in the classroom. The purpose of the SchoolView is to provide school-based leaders with observational data for needs assessment purposes, as well as data regarding changes in classroom practices as a result of staff development initiatives. Principals, assistant principals, and district-level administrators will find multiple uses for the SchoolView, as the tool can be tailored according to the specific needs of each school.

The data collected are representative of observations conducted in the classrooms of multiple teachers; such data are never presented for individual teachers, as the SchoolView is not meant to be used for teacher evaluation. Data may be collected for such areas as: curriculum objective alignment, student engagement, powerful instructional practices, among others. School leaders are encouraged to use SchoolView as an authentic repeated measures approach over time. The SchoolView approach differs from the Downey Walk-Through in that data from the SchoolView are recorded and analyzed for specific feedback purposes.

During the two-day training, information on the various types of reports that can be generated from the classroom observations will be given, and the second day will involve a practicum in classroom settings to gather actual data. Technological enhancements for the SchoolView tool that involve a personal digital assistant (PDA) are currently being designed, for ease in data collection and analysis.