The Backward Faculty Meeting: Reclaiming Time, Voice, and Purpose

The Backward Faculty Meeting: Reclaiming Time, Voice, and Purpose

We’ve all sat through faculty meetings that felt like information dumps. Slide after slide. Bullet point after bullet point. Updates we could have read in an email. Somewhere along the way, faculty meetings stopped being a space for collaboration and became a container for compliance.

But what if we flipped the script?

What if instead of front-loading meetings with administrative announcements and one-way communication, we started with the collective wisdom of the room?

That’s the idea behind the Backward Faculty Meeting—a leadership strategy that re-centers the voices of educators and reframes meetings as opportunities for problem-solving, connection, and innovation.¹

What Is a Backward Faculty Meeting?

A Backward Faculty Meeting inverts the traditional structure. Instead of the principal or admin team leading the agenda from the top down, the meeting begins with teacher-led discussions, inquiry-based protocols, or thought-provoking prompts.

Admin announcements and logistics are shared last—often in brief, written form or as a digital follow-up. The goal is simple but powerful: Start with what matters most—people, ideas, and purpose.²

The Why Behind the Shift

As a principal of a multi-site Pre-K program, I saw firsthand how traditional meetings—no matter how well-intentioned—often drained the room instead of energizing it. The staff came together physically, but not emotionally or intellectually. They were listening, but not necessarily engaged.

The Backward Faculty Meeting emerged from a desire to:

• Reclaim the power of collective problem-solving

• Build a stronger sense of ownership and voice

• Shift from passive consumption to active contribution

• Honor the limited time teachers have by making every minute meaningful³

How It Works: A Sample Flow

Here’s what a Backward Faculty Meeting might look like:

0:00–0:10 | Welcome & Connection Prompt

“What’s one small win you had this week?”

“If your classroom had a soundtrack today, what song would be playing?”

These warm-ups build trust and connection, especially across grade levels or sites.⁴

0:10–0:30 | Teacher-Led Roundtables

Choose a focus question or challenge, such as:

“What’s working in centers this month, and what’s not?”

“How are we building language-rich environments for multilingual learners?”

Facilitate rotating table conversations or use protocols like "Affinity Mapping" or "Chalk Talk" to capture ideas. A coach or team lead can help gather takeaways.⁵