Two Hours You Don’t Have: Why Evaluations Are Draining School Leaders

Every school leader knows the scene: you’ve barely sat down at your desk when the day fills with emergencies, emails, and unexpected walk-ins. Add to that the hours of teacher evaluations that state and district requirements demand, and you’re suddenly asking yourself where two more hours are supposed to fit.

Evaluations are designed to strengthen instruction and support teacher growth, but for many administrators, the process has become a paperwork-heavy burden. Instead of fueling meaningful coaching conversations, evaluations often feel like another compliance box to check—one that robs time from the leadership tasks that truly matter.

So what’s the real issue? It’s not the intent of evaluation systems. It’s the outdated processes behind them. Long narrative write-ups, vague rubrics, and inconsistent scoring eat away at your schedule while offering little clarity to teachers. Leaders spend hours writing, but the impact on instructional quality is limited. The result? Fatigue, frustration, and—most critically—missed opportunities to coach teachers in ways that improve instruction and build their confidence.

That’s why more and more districts are shifting toward Evidence-First™ Scoring aligned to the Danielson Framework for Teaching. Instead of requiring lengthy subjective commentary, this approach is grounded in strategic evidence markers that cut through ambiguity. Leaders collect observable, objective evidence during the walkthrough or observation, then align it to clear expectations. The process is faster, more transparent, and—most importantly—fair to teachers.

Here’s what that means in practice:

• ✅ Clarity without the clutter – Evidence markers provide exact points of reference, so your notes are concise and on target.

• ✅ Time reclaimed – Administrators spend less time writing narratives and more time in actual coaching conversations.

• ✅ Trust restored – Teachers can see the direct link between what happened in the classroom and the evaluation result.

• ✅ Better data for growth – Schools gain actionable insights instead of vague ratings.

For school leaders everywhere, the time drain is real. But so is the solution. By embracing Danielson-aligned, evidence-based evaluations, you don’t just get back those two lost hours—you transform evaluation from a compliance task into a coaching tool that actually drives improvement.

Because in the end, schools don’t need leaders who are stuck behind their laptops—they need leaders who are in classrooms, building teachers’ confidence, driving instructional growth, and accelerating student achievement.