Recognizing Excellence

When we talk about the impact of recognizing excellence on student achievement, typically we think of students. There are many ways in which schools recognize the achievements and growth of students as a way to encourage and nurture them. However, it’s interesting how rarely recognition of staff achievements and growth is cited as a strategy to encourage excellence. There is a quiet assumption that teachers do best when toiling at their work quietly and thanklessly. However this is the opposite of what studies of motivation show, which is that recognition and praise is associated with improved productivity and engagement, improved teacher retention, and better relationships with students and families (Gallup, 2017).

In January 2022, I wrote about how to increase teacher adoption of technology for which they’re provided training. In that post, I examined how meaningful administrative support was a key element of technology adoption. Meaningful support includes use of the new technology, and praising or rewarding teachers who incorporate the new technology into their classroom. By recognizing these teachers, administrators demonstrate their dedication to and support of technology use and staff willing to take adapt to new systems. This in turn improves the technology use and adoption culture in the school.