Student achievement rose sharply when the West Des Moines schools incorporated the findings of effectiveness research in their teacher evaluation system. (Author)

Teaching portfolios are not just scrapbooks of random assignments and student work samples, but represent teachers' evolving reflections and analyses measured against rigorous standards. Thoughtful reflection, not a color printer, is the key to portfolio success. Tips on assembling suitable "artifacts" and handling anxiety and time…

Three urban school principals from the US have described their efforts to turn around their performing schools and create sustainable leadership. They describe about the challenges they had faced while reorganizing the school, recruiting new teachers, spending extra time on teacher evaluations and remaining the instructional leader.

Outlines a 10-step model of performance management from corporate and government practices for use in teaching appraisal. Performance management emphasizes each teacher's uniqueness while recognizing the need to support school system goals. Steps include: build rapport, identify key results areas, jointly determine specific objectives, and…

Calvert County School District, Maryland, has developed a differentiated teacher evaluation system that promotes collaboration among supervisors and administrators in rating teacher performance. Methods involve informal observation, rating observation, and nonrating observation. Implementation is accompanied by extensive formative evaluation by…

In 1984, a suburban New York State school district adopted a 5- to 10-year staff development program designed to promote effective teaching research among professional staff and increase collegiality among teachers, administrators, and supervisors. The plan temporarily eliminated teacher evaluations and overcame numerous obstacles. (MLH)

Details of a study done by 11 western New York state school districts to determine the behavior supervisors found most effective in teachers during a one-to-one conference. (DS)

A survey among 140 advisory committee members serving various levels of administration in Florida's seven largest county districts revealed that committees are not involved in budgeting or staff evaluation, and that they seldom succeed in getting other changes made. (Author/MLF)

A combination of methods--portfolios, direct observation, assessment centers, and better tests--can compensate for one another's shortcomings and reflect the richness and complexity of teaching. (Author/TE)

Idea man par excellence, Lee Shulman has long set directions for research on teaching. After founding and directing the Institute for Research on Teaching at Michigan State University, Shulman, now at Stanford, continues his far-reaching investigations into the interplay of content and pedagogy and into assessments of teaching that faithfully…

Teachers more often speak of professionalism in terms of environmental conditions than in terms of standards and dispositions. In 1989, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards devised a certification process that recognizes teachers for subject area expertise and for demonstrating what they know about students in early childhood or…

Teaching portfolios are making their way into today's classrooms in three important ways: as habits of mind helping teachers define good practice; as processes teachers use for reflecting on their own teaching and learning; and as new teaching strategies mirroring student learning practices. (MLH)

Research shows that adults respond primarily to positive reinforcement, want to be involved, and prefer to operate in a collegial environment. Traditional teacher evaluation violates many of these understandings. Fortunately, schools are beginning to experiment with observations and mentoring for beginning teachers and long-term…

Interviews with 20 principals and 36 holistically oriented teachers in Phoenix, Arizona, disclosed the inadequacy of using direct-instruction evaluation methods for these teachers. However, all 20 principals were reluctant to change evaluation methods. At one school, teachers and principals cooperated to develop the Holistic Integrated Classroom…

Describes how North Carolina educators cooperated to build a system of teacher-performance appraisal. To build the program, educators derived basic teaching functions from literature and observed teachers to gather performance data. Training is now provided to districts, and information about effective teaching is disseminated throughout the…