Systemic Change Starts with Shared Leadership.
Jon Saphier's synthesis of decades of research on teaching and leadership showed that lasting improvement isn't a single program — it's an aligned system where teaching, leadership, and evaluation all speak the same language.
RBT partners with superintendents and central office leaders to build that alignment so it reaches every classroom.
More from founder, Jon Saphier here.
A Systemwide Approach to Improving Teaching
Lasting improvement happens when teaching, leadership, and professional learning align around one shared understanding of effective instruction — the same insight that led Jon Saphier to found RBT nearly 50 years ago.
Today, Research for Better Teaching partners with districts to turn that alignment into practice: coherent instructional improvement that strengthens teaching over time and raises learning for every student.
Our work begins with a core belief: teaching is complex professional work—learnable, improvable, and worthy of careful study.
Districts that see lasting improvement focus on developing:
- A shared language for teaching and learning
- Leadership capacity to analyze and improve instruction
- Professional learning systems that support ongoing growth
- Collaborative structures where educators study teaching together
- High expectations and strong support for all students
Rather than introducing disconnected initiatives, RBT helps districts align their systems around a coherent instructional vision.
In nearly two decades as a principal in Massachusetts, RBT has been one of the best providers of professional development in teaching, learning, and educational leadership. RBT's focus is on what matters and lasts. |
Dr. Grace WaiFormer Director of Curriculum and Professional Development, Framingham Public Schools |
Building One Shared Language Across the System
Lasting improvement starts when every role in the district is seeing, naming, and discussing instruction the same way. Most districts begin by bringing teachers through Studying Skillful Teaching (SST) and leaders through Analyzing Teaching for Student Results (ATSR) — building the shared language that makes feedback, coaching, and evaluation consistent across every school.
From there, districts build lasting internal capacity through RBT's In-District Instructors (IDI) program — training your own staff to deliver these courses at a high level of proficiency, with ongoing support, materials, and curriculum updates, so the work keeps spreading without permanent reliance on outside trainers.
For teachers who engaged in the program, their instruction has taken the next step — from student evaluation to planning... and that is even bearing out in teacher evaluation results. |
Dr. Krista Parentformer Superintendent of South Lane School District |
When Programs Add Up to a System
When a district implements RBT's programs together, teaching and learning improve district-wide. Districts see:
- A shared language and common images for high-expertise teaching practice
- A culture of continuous adult learning, sustained through district-trained instructors
- Elevation of student learning, driven by consistent, evidence-based feedback and coaching
See the full impact data and district partner stories
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