Just a few years ago, tenure appeared low on the reform list for state policy makers and district administrators, viewed as too hot an issue politically to challenge. But it was front and center in the 2014 landmark "Vergara v. California" lawsuit, which challenged teacher tenure and related policies. Yet whether to grant tenure or not…

As teachers are examining methods to improve their practices due to teacher evaluation systems that incorporate student growth, a renewed focus has been placed on teacher effectiveness. Because reflective teachers have been shown to be more effective, this qualitative study examined the understanding of reflection among five secondary school…

This article examines a unique intervention in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to uncover the causal impact on school performance of an evaluation system based on highly structured classroom observations of teacher practice. An iterative process of observation and conferencing focused on improving lesson planning and preparation, the classroom…

The nation's teacher education programs are not producing the quantity or quality of teachers needed, particularly in needed subjects. The only way to ensure a strong enough pipeline of effective teachers to ensure equitable access is to dramatically increase how states are preparing prospective educators. The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship…

The modernization of teacher evaluation systems, an increasingly common component of school reform efforts, promises to reveal new, systematic information about the performance of individual classroom teachers. Yet while states and districts race to design new systems, most discussion of how the information might be used has focused on traditional…

In collaboration with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Catalyst Ohio, the FDR Group conducted a telephone survey of 1,002 randomly selected Ohio residents between April 1 and April 9, 2009 (margin of error +/- 3 percentage points). The survey--the third in a series--reports Ohioans' views on critical education issues, including school funding,…

The 2009 "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized "Blueprint for Change," building off last year's "Yearbook"…

Summary of Ph.D. Dissertation, Ohio State Univ., 1968

The need to provide inservice training to substitute teachers was examined. The study surveyed a random sample of 278 teachers and 123 substitute teachers in Allen County, Ohio. The first part of the survey asked both groups about demographics. The second and third parts asked both groups whether teachers left complete lesson plans for…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The 2011 State Teacher…

In this article, the author describes her personal experiences as the principal of Princeton Junior High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her administrative strategy focuses on: (1) maintaining a quality faculty; (2) using a model for classroom observation that is best suited to helping the teachers at Princeton succeed; (3) providing teachers with…

This study examined the efficacy of Techniques of Responsive Intervention to Validate Effective Teaching (TRIVET) as a model for training administrators and teachers to provide instructional leadership through effective classroom appraisal. The study dealt with the first of a multi-step process to have principals and teachers impact what happens…

Conference papers outlining strategies for implementing change through inservice education are presented. Three opening papers deal with the general theme of the conference: "Effective Inservice Education" (Gordon Lawrence); "A Panel Discussion on Staff Development" (Margaret L. Trent, Robert W. Evans, and Frederick R.…