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…

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…

Traditional systems of teacher evaluation are often ineffective because they rely on outmoded evaluative criteria, usually in the form of checklists; simplistic assessments, such as "needs improvement"; procedures that fail to differentiate between new and veteran teachers' experience and expertise; lack of consistency among evaluators;…

Mandel interviewed both new teachers and veteran educators who had mentored first-year teachers in Los Angeles schools to ascertain what kind of information new teachers want during their initial year in the classroom. He discovered that few first-year teachers felt they needed guidance related to state standards and standardized tests. New…

A common problem faced by new teachers is lack of supervisory support and learning on the job through trial and error can often dishearten the rookie enough to abandon the job and often the profession. Suggestions are offered on how to redress this problem and a starting point could be the implementation of what the Alliance for Excellent…

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)

Responding to Joe Smith's unfavorable comments concerning Texas' alternative certification program in the November 1991 issue of "Educational Leadership," this article claims the Texas program is highly successful, thanks to school-university cooperation and closely supervised teacher interns. New Jersey's failures cannot be likened to…

Madeline Hunter replies to the criticism in the previous article. She feels that the current teacher decision-making model is effective. (MD)

To help teachers solve their problems, supervisors must first deal with problems inherent in the helping relationship. (Author)

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)

Describes a high school English department's successful efforts to define and shape their own peer assistance program. The program succeeded because it is voluntary, has received administrative support, and has evolved slowly and naturally. The program has communication, rehearsal, and awareness benefits and calls for a new kind of professional…

Argues in defense of preobservation conferences in teacher evaluations. They place teaching episodes in context and enhance the supervisor's supportive role. (MD)

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