This phenomenological qualitative study explores how public school pre-kindergarten teachers in Florida perceive their principals' understanding of early learning standards and developmentally appropriate practices. The problem addressed is that prekindergarten teachers are evaluated by their principals using state-approved evaluation rubrics…

This paper examines various approaches to evaluating the classroom teacher and discusses the inclusion of dispositions in the evaluation process. A random sample of 150 teachers were asked to complete an online survey focusing on the inclusion of dispositions in their formal evaluations. They were asked to report what specific dispositions were…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to describe the associations between the specific Central Florida district's final instructional summative evaluation scores and student achievement scores for Grade 4 instructional staff teaching ELA or mathematics within the district for the school year 2017-2018. The self-determination…

This phenomenological research study was based on elementary school teachers who felt unsupported by their principals, due to lack of frequent reviews and pertinent evaluations. In previous research studies, researchers stated that many elementary teachers were frustrated, changed schools frequently, retired early, or left the teaching profession…

Student teachers' experiences during their internship are crucial in their development as a teacher. In agricultural teacher education programs, it is common for student teachers to record where their time is allocated each week on categorized timesheets. The purpose of this study was to examine the preservice teachers' performance over the…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if, and to what extent, a relationship existed between teachers' perceptions of their evaluator's instructional leadership and the teachers' evaluation scores at the middle and high school levels in one Florida school district. Ozcan's theory of teacher motivation states that…

Until recently, legal challenges to using value-added models (VAMs) throughout the United States (US) for high-stakes teacher evaluative decisions (e.g., merit pay, tenure, and termination) were unsuccessful, especially in the state of Florida. Hence, prior and still, multiple teachers throughout Florida have been terminated or involuntarily…

In this study, we compared the results of 27 special education teachers' evaluations using two different observation instruments, the Framework for Teaching (FFT), and the Explicit Instruction observation protocol of the Recognizing Effective Special Education Teachers (RESET) observation system. Results indicate differences in the rank-ordering…

This article examines the impact of course modality on student evaluation of courses and professors. Data were collected through the "Student Perception of Instruction" end of course rating form at the University of Central Florida (UCF), which contains nine items and maintains student anonymity. The findings indicate that while course…

In October 2021, Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF) announced at the start of a new initiative called "1,000 by 2025" with the purpose of recruiting and retaining 1,000 Black and Latino male educators by the year 2025. Given that disproportionalities in student and teacher racial representation continue to persist despite the…

While teacher education programs are required to place preservice teachers in diverse schools/classrooms, the conceptualization and measurement of diversity remains a challenge. One of the primary methods for developing teachers so that they can capably work with diverse student populations is to provide field experiences that place teacher…

Salaries are one of the most powerful policy levers states and school districts can use to attract qualified, effective, and diverse teachers. What role do states play in supporting strategic use of salaries? This report examines the state teacher compensation policies that influence districts' potential strategic use of teacher pay. It analyzes…

Lately, there has been an increased focus on the role that certification plays in the long-term performance of classroom teachers. In short, does certification matter? Many studies have analyzed the specific components and requirements of certification programs to determine which might be more predictive of long-term teaching success. This study…

This study describes the development of a special education teacher observation protocol detailing the elements of effective decoding instruction. The psychometric properties of the protocol were investigated through many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM). Video observations of classroom decoding instruction from 20 special education teachers across…