Extracurricular high school sports are a major part of the educational experience of students at Strathmore High School (SHS), and coaches play a vital role in meeting the philosophy of education-based athletics by designing an athletics program that adheres to the mission statement of SHS ("Empowering a community of accomplished and caring…

This book discusses teacher evaluation and how it can provide the foundations for professional development. The editors and contributors illustrate how teachers with varying levels of expertise, experience and learning needs can benefit from differentiated evaluation and professional development designed to help them reach their full potential.…

Authors and scholars published within "Arts Education Policy Review" have been diligent to investigate various topics surrounding music educator preparation, mentoring, retention, as well as avenues for continued professional development and growth. Linda Darling-Hammond and Robert Rothman, along with various chapter authors, address…

Romania's education system has made impressive strides over the past two decades, with an increasing share of students mastering the basic competencies that they need for life and work. But these average improvements mask significant disparities in learning outcomes and attainment, with an increasing share of students leaving education early…

This paper presents the results of a study of interviews (N = 17) conducted with members of a community of practice (CP) comprised of school principals, vice principals, and department heads responsible for teacher supervision in their respective schools. This CP met once a month over the course of 2 years to work on adapting the New Brunswick…

In this era of accountability-by-numbers, the elevated status accorded to large-scale external assessments such as the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is symptomatic of a trend towards data-driven policy initiatives in education, and the need for regular sources of outcome data to constantly feed narrow indicators of…

The literature on educational peer review (EPR) has focused on evaluating EPR's impact on faculty and/or student learning outcomes; no literature exists on the potential organizational impact. A qualitative (case study) research design explored perceptions of 17 faculty and 10 administrators within a school of nursing in an Ontario university…

This policy brief examines standards-based approaches that hold promise for shaping a common vision of skilled teaching commensurate with the national goal of preparing all students for college and careers. Numerous studies confirm that teachers are the most significant school-based factor in improving student achievement, particularly for the…

Discrete-trials teaching (DTT) is a frequently used method for implementing Applied Behavior Analysis treatment with children with autism. Fazzio, Arnal, and Martin (2007) developed a 21-component checklist, the Discrete-Trials Teaching Evaluation Form (DTTEF), for assessing instructors conducting DTT. In Phase 1 of this research, three experts on…

The Fort McMurray Catholic School District in Alberta, Canada, developed an evaluation model to address shortcomings in typical plans, including failure to nurture competent teachers, assist beginning teachers, challenge accomplished educators, assess and improve school leadership skills, enhance staff ownership of the process, and counsel…

Canada's Ministries of Education have recently developed provincially mandated teacher evaluation policies to ensure provision of effective classroom instruction and teachers' continuing professional development. Based on indepth study of Alberta teacher evaluation practices, this article concludes that policy fails to meet these objectives. The…

The present study examines and provides a description of the teachers' (N = 382) preferred models of supervision from seven of Canada's large urban centres: Evaluation by school supervisors, school council members, school principals, peers, students, teachers' self-evaluation or no evaluation at all. The results show that teachers from the seven…

The establishment of a Canadian national assessment center with the authority to develop, administer, and evaluate French second language teachers' competencies, and to issue a national certification over and above the provincial certification is proposed. It is argued that French second language teacher certification is now a national issue and…

Several student and course characteristics were examined in relation to student ratings of instruction. Students at a major Canadian university completed the Universal Student Ratings of Instruction instrument at the end of every course over a three-year period, providing 371,131 student ratings. Analyses of between-group differences indicate that…

Using a case study format, this paper examines and assesses the method of selecting applicants for admission to the bachelor of education program at Queen's University, Ontario, and relates this selection procedure to teacher performance following graduation. The class of 1971-72 serves as the focus of this study because of the extended and…