While much research has examined the impact that neoliberal reforms have had on education, very little research has examined science teachers/teaching in particular. In this article, we share findings from a longitudinal study with 9 public school science teachers in Arizona, USA. We argue that neoliberal reforms have positioned science classrooms…

Current teacher evaluation systems (TES) in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (P-12) American public schools may be impeding the reflection and feedback processes needed for impacting teachers' professional growth and developing trusting, administrator-teacher relationships. The dominant purpose of summative evaluation has been to rate teachers'…

This quantitative correlational study examined the relationship between teacher pre-hiring effectiveness evaluation and their performance evaluation scores at the end of the first year of teaching. Prior to this study, it was not known if and to what degree teachers' scores on the Ventures for Excellence B-22 screening interview correlated to…

This article examines the re-professionalization of teaching across a transformative decade of market-based and standards-based reforms in the U.S.A. The first section works with the sociological concept of the 'new professionalism' to situate the No Child Left Behind act, Race to the Top, and CAEP accreditation within a broader movement to align…

In May and June 2018, the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd hosted two online Thought Leadership Forums for state education agency officials who are members of the Leadership Council of the Network of State Turnaround and Improvement Leaders. The monthly forums are intended to build the capacity of SEAs and regional comprehensive centers to…

The most restrictive language policy context in the United States, Arizona's monolingual and prescriptive approach to teaching English learners continues to capture national and international attention. Five school years removed from the initial implementation, this study aimed to understand the complexities of Arizona language policy in…

How can states help ensure that their systems are providing schools and educators with the essential data for improvement efforts? One powerful strategy is to collaborate with partners using a continuous improvement approach. Six states have been doing just that--working together to investigate and address specific, high-priority, high-impact ways…

One urban district in the state of Arizona sought to use an alternative achievement test (i.e., the Northwest Evaluation Association's (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress for Primary Grades (MAP)) to include more value-added ineligible teachers in the districts' growth and merit pay system. The goal was to allow for its K-2 teachers to be more…

As NIET enters its 20th year, research continues to point to the effectiveness of NIET's support and the positive impact of investing in human capital. The Winter 2020 Research Summary captures both NIET's key long-term impact, shares promising results highlighting that the TAP System [The System for Teacher and Student Advancement] sustains…

Researchers at NIET and elsewhere have studied the effectiveness of "TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement" (TAP) in raising student achievement, improving the quality of instruction, and increasing the ability of high-need schools to recruit, retain and support effective teachers. This document provides summaries of some…

Data and the use of data to make educational decisions have attained new-found prominence in K-12 education following the inception of high-stakes testing and subsequent linking of teacher evaluations and teacher-performance pay to students' outcomes on standardized assessments. Although the research literature suggested students' academic…

The TAP System stands out because of its more than two-decade-long track record of growth and success in improving educator effectiveness and raising student achievement in high-need schools. This summary includes a recap of some of the most important results that have emerged from the research to date and highlights newer studies documenting…

Recent teacher evaluation reforms instituted across the country have sought to yield richer information about educators' strengths and limitations and guide decisions about targeted opportunities for professional growth. This study describes how results from new multiple-measure teacher evaluations were being used in 2014/15 in five school…

In December 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB), as the nation's major law governing public schools. ESSA retains the requirement that states test all students in reading and math in grades three through eight and once in high school, as well as the requirement that…