This investigation used data collected from students who assessed their instructors' teaching and learning effectiveness. Instructors were community-college career and technical-education faculty enrolled in the Community College Induction Mentoring Program (CCIM), a jointly sponsored program between Iowa State University and the instructors'…

The use of complex value-added models that attempt to isolate the contributions of teachers or schools to student development is increasing. Several variations on these models are being applied in the research literature, and policy makers have expressed interest in using these models for evaluating teachers and schools. In this article, we…

This study assesses the impact of professional development schools (PDSs) on preservice teachers, comparing PDS and non-PDS candidates at the point of licensure. Data sources include student teaching evaluations and portfolio presentations. Statistical analyses reveal PDS candidates scored significantly higher than non-PDS candidates on aspects of…

Design education encompasses various teaching strategies with classes typically evaluated by students at the end of the term. This evaluation is often perfunctory; in contrast, the observational research presented in this paper examines a variety of design classes as they are taught, then analyzes the observations through three perspectives:…

A strategy used by many principals to gather classroom information and frame that interaction is the classroom "learning walk" or "walk-through." The walk-through can be defined as a brief, structured, nonevaluative classroom observation by the principal that is followed by a conversation between the principal and the teacher…

Scholars and practitioners have long criticized teacher evaluation as ineffective. Peer assistance and review (PAR) alters traditional teacher evaluation, as master teachers conduct summative as well as formative assessment of beginning teachers and veteran teachers in need of intervention. Relying on data from a longitudinal case study of one…

In October 1986, the Tennessee State Board of Education adopted nine principles setting forth a framework for the design of an improved teacher education system in Tennessee and identifying major areas of responsibility for higher education institutions, local school systems, and the state. The principles include: (1) liberal arts preparation; (2)…

Measurement of the quality of teaching activities is becoming increasingly important since universities are rewarding performance in terms of promotion, awards and bonuses and research is no longer the only key performance indicator. Good teaching is not easy to identify and measure. This paper specifically deals with the issue of good teaching in…

Use of portfolios as a tool for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher development and evaluation, using principles and practices borrowed from portfolio use to assess learner progress, is advocated. The origins of portfolios in art and other professions and their adaptation for teaching are outlined. The structure of such a portfolio is then…

Using some dictionary definitions, one might easily infer that supervision of teaching is a managerial/administrative function closely related to evaluation and control, implying hierarchical connotations. However, Guthrie and Reed (1991) describe teacher supervision as "a function of leadership concerned with improving, enhancing, and reinforcing…

Working with state education agency staff and higher education faculty, the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) attempted to assemble information about current state-developed teacher evaluation systems and future directions for teacher assessment. SREB states were trying to determine whether: (1) the same evaluation systems were being used…

In Tennessee, varied data-gathering devices have been employed in an attempt to determine whether an educator is qualified for a given level on the state's career ladder program and, thereby, should attain the meaningful financial benefits linked to that status. In its first year of operation, the Tennessee program employed several domains of…

This report explores issues surrounding the present governance structure of teacher credentialing in California and considers alternative structures to improve governance in the teaching profession. The study discusses the present credentialing structure, credentialing problems, and criticisms of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, a body…

Issues for policymakers at the national and local authority levels concerning teacher appraisal are discussed, from the perspective of a local educational agency advisor in London, England. Teacher appraisal is one of the ways in which the plurality characterizing the English and Welsh education systems is being replaced by a national system. At…

The development of processes for considering student achievement data in the evaluation of teaching is discussed. As an alternative to the inappropriate and indefensible use of standardized test scores, the project on Expected Student Achievement (ESA) of the Kentucky Career Ladder Commission considered a management by objectives, or goal setting…