SamTastic Weekly Tip: 7/27/26 - Read Comments from NSIP Board Members about Your Work

This week’s Tip: Read Comments from NSIP Board Members about your Work

The NSIP Board is the first to receive the annual SAM Team Performance Report each year compiled from the end of year sessions each SAM team facilitated by their Time Change Coach and TimeTrack data.  Use this link to access the comprehensive report:  https://bit.ly/44pYH44      Use this link to access comments from SAM teams and their Time Change Coaches concerning outcomes:  https://bit.ly/4fX0YKw

Here’s comments from NSIP Board Vice President, Paul Katnik:

My name is Paul Katnik and I serve as an Assistant Commissioner in the Missouri Department of Education. I also have the privilege of serving as the Vice-President on the Board of the National SAM Innovation Project (NSIP). The Board last met in early July. We spent time during our meeting reviewing data from the annual SAM Team Performance Report which had a very impressive completion rate of 100%. Thank you! The data shows that over 90% of you are able to connect your time use to improved teacher practice and improved student performance. As we know from over 60 years of educational research, nothing in schools matters more than that. Congratulations!! It is an honor to be associated with amazing school leaders like you!

Here’s comments from NSIP Board Secretary, David Sechler:

The chart at the top of p. 4 of the NSIP End of Year SAM Team Performance Report  shows the average number of hours spent by TimeTrack  Seeing Instruction, using four distinct  descriptors:

·         Observation:  25.25 hours

·         Walkthrough:  35.76 hours

·         Work with Students:  53.03 hours

·         Student Learning Supervision:  30.42 hours.

The first two of these descriptors capture TimeTrack users watching instruction – present and following the action in the classroom, but yet apart from it. The third and fourth of these descriptors capture TimeTrack users’ time spent actively engaged in the instructional process as the TimeTrack user “teaches student(s) or engages in conversation about the content with student(s)” or “assists while a teacher is teaching students.” I think it’s hugely impressive that the time TimeTrack users spend actively engaged in the instructional process is more than double the time they spend passively watching it. I have to believe that this active engagement is one of the main factors in those who use the SAM process having a deep understanding of instruction and being able to connect their time so strongly to improvements in teacher practice (92.27%) and student performance (91.74%).   As a member of the NSIP Board of Directors, I congratulate you on work well done!

Here’s comments from Dr. Jennifer McCrystal, NSIP Board Member and SAM principal, Florida:

Hello! I'm Dr. Jennifer McCrystal, the practicing principal member of your NSIP Board of Directors. This past July, our Board gathered for its third meeting of the year to take the pulse of how the SAM process is serving principals across the country. One of the most powerful ways we do this is through data. As we reviewed the 2025–2026 NSIP End-of-Year SAM Team Performance Report, one finding stood out: while SAM principals spent an average of 4.5% of their time providing instructional feedback, that percentage translates to approximately 46 hours each school year—more than three times the amount reported for non-SAM principals. That's 46 hours invested in growing teachers and, ultimately, improving student learning! TimeTrack gives us the ability to intentionally monitor and balance the feedback we provide—whether directive, non-directive, celebratory, or written—ensuring our time aligns with what matters most.

The data also revealed something equally encouraging: the longer principals remain engaged in the SAM process, the more frequently they provide non-directive feedback—the reflective conversations that empower teachers to think deeply about their practice and strengthen their own instructional decision-making. Just as importantly, TimeTrack and the Daily Meeting keep us grounded in reality rather than perception, allowing us to respond with agility to the evolving needs of our teachers and schools. The evidence is clear: the SAM process works, and its impact grows over time.

As we begin another school year, I encourage each of us to set ambitious goals not only for our students and staff, but also for ourselves as instructional leaders. The SAM process is ultimately an investment in you as a leader. Every intentional step you take toward becoming a stronger instructional leader creates a ripple effect throughout your school—empowering teachers, strengthening classrooms, and improving outcomes for every student you serve.

Best for a SamTastic week,

Mark

Mark Shellinger, Director

National SAM Innovation Project

Note:  I’ll be doing in person SAM process training the first week of August in Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis and San Francisco.  The second week, I’ll be doing in-person SAM team training in Kansas City and Columbia.  We are now accepting registration of in-person SAM training in New York City, September 24,  for new teams.  This training is also open to new SAM principals in cities with easy rail access, including Baltimore, Prince George’s County. New teams from outside NYC are eligible fo complimentary rail reimbursement and hotel room.  Use this link to register:  https://bit.ly/SAMTrainingNYC