At Goalbook, relationships is one of our two core values (the other being growth). We focus on building authentic relationships with the districts and schools with whom we partner.
Our school and district partners work closely with a member of Goalbook’s Success team. The Success team is responsible for ensuring that Goalbook is implemented effectively and that we work alongside our partners to achieve their desired teacher and student outcomes. The Success team delivers professional development that helps districts improve instructional practice in a way that is scalable and sustainable.
Shara Watkins, Success Manager, was a district instructional coach and professional development lead prior to joining Goalbook. According to Shara, being authentic is key to gaining trust with district leaders.
“District leaders are used to being over-promised and sold to by vendors. My goal is for them to know I’m understanding of their needs and to work with me as a thought partner — not a vendor. Just as building relationships with students is at the core of good teaching, collaborating with district leaders is vital to a great implementation.”
“Just as building relationships with students is at the core of good teaching, collaborating with district leaders is vital to a great implementation.”
Erin Christian, Success Manager, agrees that what sets Goalbook apart is we do not provide a one-size-fits-all approach. Therefore, communication and understanding a district’s individual needs are imperative. Erin draws from her former experiences as a teacher, coach, and principal to thoughtfully plan and design implementations for the partners she works with.
“Having a teaching background helps me empathize with the reality of what teachers have on their plate. Having an admin background allows me to know the landscape and understand the challenges of implementation at the district and school levels.”
We understand that ultimately, Goalbook’s users are teachers, so our approach to designing an implementation together with district leaders reflects the viewpoint of an educator. Erin consistently draws on her experience as she delivers PD, “As a teacher, we’ve all sat through trainings that are wholly ineffective. We do everything we can to make Goalbook’s professional development informative, interactive, and above all, empowering for educators.”
Shara and Erin have both relied on their past experience as instructional leaders to help districts define structures and processes and to work through implementation challenges. In the same way a coach looks at numerous teacher and student data points, our Success Managers look at implementation data in a variety of ways — looking at usage data, interviewing teachers, gathering feedback, and engaging in a cycle of continuous improvement throughout the school year and from one year to the next.
Our Success team has learned that building relationships depends on how effectively we communicate with school and district leaders. We aim for our partnerships to be built on a foundation of clear communication and transparency. Through consistent collaboration and check-ins, we develop long-term authentic working relationships. We truly enjoy the opportunity to learn more about the folks we work with as professionals but also as people.
Our Success team has learned that building relationships depends on how effectively we communicate with school and district leaders. We aim for our partnerships to be built on a foundation of clear communication and transparency.
As we continue to build partnerships with educators in schools and districts across the country it will be the strength of these relationships that embodies our first core value at Goalbook.
