From 3 Hours to 30 Minutes: Streamlining Classroom Observations with Observation Copilot

In a recent episode of the Teaching Learning Leading K12 podcast, host Dr. Steven Miletto sat down with Edthena founder and CEO Adam Geller to discuss Observation Copilot, an AI-powered tool designed to make teacher feedback faster, clearer, and more actionable for school leaders.

Principals often spend two hours or more per teacher turning classroom observation notes into detailed, framework-aligned feedback.

Steven and Adam explore how Observation Copilot dramatically reduces this burden by generating a structured first draft from raw notes in just seconds. This means less time spent on paperwork and more time supporting teachers and students.

Here are a few key takeaways from their discussion:

• Supporting teachers, not just compliance. Ultimately, the goal of Observation Copilot is to shift the focus of classroom observations from bureaucratic process to meaningful teacher growth. By accelerating the feedback cycle, school leaders can prioritize actionable insights over administrative delays.
• Closing the feedback loop faster. Delayed feedback often turns into a “postmortem” that arrives long after the moment has passed. For feedback to be most effective, it should be delivered soon after the observation. Observation Copilot shortens the turnaround time, enabling principals to provide feedback within 24 to 48 hours, rather than two weeks. One principal reduced their post-observation time from three hours to just 20–30 minutes (per teacher), freeing up a lot of valuable time across multiple evaluations.
• Keeping data security in mind. Adam also emphasized the company’s commitment to data privacy. Observation Copilot uses secure single sign-on with district credentials, and importantly, the data entered by principals is not used to train or influence outputs elsewhere. This ensures confidentiality while leveraging AI’s efficiency.

How Observation Copilot works

Once the notes are entered and the school or district framework is selected, principals click one button, and within a few seconds, the tool aligns classroom evidence to relevant framework areas. It also suggests next-step ideas, all based on the evidence entered by the principal.

Observation Copilot already includes many popular instructional frameworks for alignment. If school leaders need a different or custom framework, they can request it right in the tool.

You can listen to the full conversation and explore a transcript on the Teaching Learning Leading K12 podcast.

And principals can use the tool for free at ObservationCopilot.com.