Over the past several decades there have been a number of different classroom observation models. Lately much attention has focused on peer observations. However, the most widely used approach in American schools remains variations of what has been called “the clinical supervision method.” Despite differences, all variants of this approach are multi-phased: a planning conference or pre-conference, the actual observation of the teacher in the classroom, analyses and interpretations of the data collected, and a post- conference that focuses on reviewing the results of the observation and formulating plans for improvement.