Peer review of teachers is controversial for several reasons. Some say peer reviewers encroach on the rightful domain of the principal as instructional leader. Others argue that, because peer evaluators are fellow teachers, they may be biased or unwilling to make hard decisions. Many teachers find the prospect of peer evaluation unsettling because…

Like high-stakes student assessment, high-stakes teacher evaluation threatens to be an occasional event that is disconnected from day-to-day teaching and learning, producing results that do not help teachers improve their performance and placing teachers in a passive role as recipients of external judgment. For several years, the authors have…

Classroom observation is a crucial aspect of any system of teacher evaluation. No matter how skilled a teacher is in other aspects of teaching--such as careful planning, working well with colleagues, and communicating with parents--if classroom practice is deficient, that individual cannot be considered a good teacher. Classroom observations can…

Michelle is a first-year English teacher at Vailsburg Middle School, a public school in Newark, New Jersey. Michelle is dedicated, caring, energetic, and insightful. This year, the author had the chance to watch Michelle and her principal, Serena Savarirayan, meet for their weekly debriefing of Michelle's teaching. Serena began by praising…

Evaluation and coaching should not be linked, these authors argue. Although it's tempting for evaluators to identify deficiencies and then specify coaching as a remediation strategy, doing so turns coaching into a consequence of a poor evaluation and termination into a consequence of failed coaching. Another mistake is to use coaching as a data…

Article discusses advantages to supervisors operating on an authority based on competence and plan. (GB)

Points out specific research needs in order to learn more about the concerns, problems, and situation of the substitute teacher. Some of the needs include studies of innovative plans for substitute teacher utilization, their supervisory needs, and the impact/effects of their utilization on pupils' learning, growth, and development. (Author/GB)

Various approaches to supervision can be grouped into three models categorized as nondirective, collaborative, and directive. Supervisors should recognize stages of professional development and treat teachers as individuals. (Author/MLF)

Article gives 5 steps as beginning measures to construct a responsible and responsive frame of reference for supervisory services in approaching educational innovations. (GB)

Several studies indicate the use of supervisors and consultants is effective when there is close contact with teachers in task oriented situations. (Author/RK)

A style of supervision that varied from letting an assistant solve problems alone to solving the problems for him was not successful. A new approach that included scheduling meetings and collaborative inquiry proved to be effective. (MLF)

Teachers' ratings of the effectiveness of supervisors are strongly influenced by supervisors' interpersonal skills, according to a study of 143 science supervisors and 258 teachers. (Author)

Generalizations are made about the different purposes and outcomes of supervisory conferences. Examples are provided. (Author/MLF)

Successful supervisors share a characteristic of "authenticity," rather than a particular pattern of behavior. From a background of Gestalt psychology, four steps are offered to help supervisors become aware of their own needs and feelings and recognize the "shoulds" that prevent real contact with others. (MLF)

Efficient supervisors have three kinds of skills: human, managerial, and technical. Each is defined and examples are provided. While human relations and management are important, technical skills, more than any other, make the role of the instructional supervisor unique. (TE)