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…

Headlines offer a plethora of opinions and arguments both for and against proposed and newly implemented teacher evaluation systems all over the United States. Hardly anyone balks at the idea of evaluating teachers, but many question whether these new evaluation systems really improve teaching and learning. The author's experience with the new…

Peer evaluators and multiple data sources are effective elements of Tennessee's career ladder system, but the assessment of teaching remains far from simple. (Author/TE)

Discusses evaluation issues that developed during implementation of the nation's first statewide career ladder program in Tennessee. After three years of development major issues have centered around communication, confidentiality, paperwork, career development, multidata source systems, and the evaluation cycle. (CJH)

Developing technology literacy for faculty, staff, and students is critical to a successful technology program. The technology inservice program designed for a Selmer, Tennessee, high school addressed core skills, best adult-learning practices and places, and evaluation considerations. Creating a small room dedicated to continuous technology…

Schools and districts rarely have a fair distribution of teacher talent. Poor children and black children are less likely to be taught by the strongest teachers and more likely to be taught by the weakest. Several districts have implemented programs to reduce the teacher quality gap. Hamilton County, Tennessee, launched an initiative that included…

The Career Ladder Program, one aspect of Tennessee's Better Schools Program, includes a career ladder for all school personnel, substantial incentive pay for performance and responsibility, competency-based performance evaluation for all school personnel, professional development programs addressing needs identified in evaluation, and new…

Recent Tennessee and Alabama court decisions raise similar issues involving (1) fundamental rights protected by the First Amendment and (2) the process of public education. Outlines the effects these decisions have on teachers and in classrooms. The supporters would suppress critical thinking and imagination while opponents would promote critical…

Explains the structure of Tennessee's Career Ladder Program for teachers, with the primary focus on evaluation procedures used at the state level for identifying teachers in the top two to five career levels. Covers evaluation criteria, evaluation data sources, use of peer evaluators, and evaluation processes. (PGD)