As many states and districts rethink teacher supervision and evaluation, the team at the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has analyzed thousands of lesson videotapes and studied the shortcomings of current practices. The tentative conclusion: Teachers should be evaluated on three…

This paper presents the testimony of Kevin Huffman, Tennessee Commissioner of Education, before the House Committee on Education and Labor. He talks about the work done by the Tennessee Department of Education to improve education for the nearly 950,000 public school students in Tennessee. He starts by providing some context about his and his…

Purpose is an internal compass that integrates engagement in activities that affect others, self-awareness of one's reasons, and the intention to continue these activities. We argue that purpose represents giftedness in intrapersonal intelligence, which processes information related to self, identity, self-regulation, and one's place in the world.…

The master's degree is discussed in seven papers written by academic officers serving state coordinating and governing boards. In "Toward a New Paradigm," Judith S. Glazer considers changes in the master's degree and suggests that the degree is changing to meet student needs, the job market, and external standards. Martine F. Hammond's…

A survey of 23 college and university coordinators who conduct assessment activities and report findings in connection with Tennessee's 15-year performance funding initiative reveals strengths and weaknesses associated with 10 indicators of institutional performance. Reasons for the program's longevity, designed to serve accountability and…

This supplemental issue deals with local and state evaluation issues and methods. It includes articles on Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) follow-up, responsiveness to client needs, performance standards, training JTPA professionals in evaluation, and Private Industry Councils' selection of program deliverers. (JOW)

Describes the Master Teacher Program introduced by Governor Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. The program outlines four career stages: apprentice teacher, professional teacher, senior teacher, and master teacher. Discusses problems with merit pay plans and makes recommendations for implementation. (JOW)

Provides background, including Tennessee Education Association involvement, and current status of Tennessee's Comprehensive Education Reform Act. Summarizes national career ladder plans. Identifies key issues: fair evaluation of teachers by statewide process; appropriate state and local roles for teacher evaluation and employment; workability of…

Tennessee's Better Schools Program includes a Master Teacher Program that has three components: teacher education, clinical supervision of beginning teachers, and a career ladder based on performance. In conjunction with the establishment of the Master Teacher Program, 23 master teacher competencies for teacher evaluation have been defined.…

Summarizes factors within the state and school systems which may change with the implementation of Tennessee's Comprehensive Education Reform Act and identifies seven potential problems to full implementation. Concludes that, because of too many unknown variables, it is too early to predict the feasibility and success of full implementation. (NEC)

Teachers' questions concerning a proposed master teacher incentive pay plan for Tennessee are stated in this address. Questions teachers raised most frequently centered around four main issues: recertification/tenure, fair evaluations, across-the-board pay raises, and promotion quotas. Summaries of teachers' discussions on each issue are presented…

This document, which highlights the efforts of the National Institute for Literacy to pilot the development of state literacy accountability systems in four states, outlines the components, operation, and importance of state accountability systems and discusses considerations in developing a systems approach to planning and implementing a quality…

The lawyer representing "Concerned Women for America" discusses the real issues in the Tennessee Textbook Case, as opposed to the apparent issues. (NKA)

Eleven articles on professional continuing education are presented. Titles and authors are as follows: "Teacher Perceptions of Roles of University Instructors" (Alvin M. Kilgore, L. James Walter, Charles Moore); "Non-Traditional Education and Institutional Reform" (Willis D. Moreland); "Basic Bifurcation in Adult Education…