A fundamental question for education policy is whether outcomes-based accountability including comprehensive educator evaluations and a closer relationship between effectiveness and compensation improves the quality of instruction and raises achievement. We use synthetic control methods to study the comprehensive teacher and principal evaluation…

Current teacher evaluation systems (TES) in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (P-12) American public schools may be impeding the reflection and feedback processes needed for impacting teachers' professional growth and developing trusting, administrator-teacher relationships. The dominant purpose of summative evaluation has been to rate teachers'…

The majority of states have laws in place that require teacher evaluations and many states are tying teacher evaluations and teacher effectiveness to tenure and dismissal policies. Historically, the teacher evaluation process has been conducted by the school principal and has commonly been disconnected from the teacher development processes that…

Well-designed research-based evaluation instruments have been implemented in school districts in a southwest U.S. state; however, it was unclear how elementary teachers were using an evaluation instrument as a formative tool to guide their instructional practices. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand how elementary…

Positive learning experiences and achievement for students are significantly skewed to the knowledge, level of skill, and disposition of the classroom teacher (e.g., Darling-Hammond, 2000; Rockoff, 2004). Ensuring teachers have professional learning experiences that develop their knowledge, skills, and dispositions is critical. This research…

This report presents changes in educator and student outcomes for HISD, Achieve 180 Program schools, and non-Achieve 180 comparison schools which were Title I, Part A campuses for the fifth year of the program. Positive effects of the Achieve 180 Program were observed although there were still challenges which Achieve 180 Program schools needed to…

In the national expedition for ways to improve PK-12 public education, teacher hiring emerges as a considerable factor in academic achievement. The intersection of federal, state, and district policies, recruitment and hiring processes, decision-makers' criteria and preferences are some factors that impact teacher selection. More importantly,…

Districts nationwide have increased the frequency of teacher evaluations. Yet, we know little about the role of evaluator feedback for teacher improvement. Using unique classroom observation-level data, we use evaluator ratings and teacher self-assessments of teacher performance to rigorously examine (positive and negative) feedback valence from…

Using unique statewide panel data from Tennessee, we describe instructional coach (IC) and teacher peer observer (TPO) distributions in terms of their teaching expertise and observable school and district characteristics. The evidence suggests ICs are more likely to work in districts with lower-performing teachers while working in schools with…

Teacher evaluation policies have become increasingly central as a promising way to enhance student learning. We examine how teacher evaluation policies in a Great Lakes state have played out at the district level based on a policy instruments framework. Drawing on interview data collected from 11 school district administrators, we found that the…

This article investigates school system leaders' influence and control over local teacher supervision and evaluation systems (TSES) guided by the United States' (U.S.) Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Using qualitative, textual document analysis methods, we analyzed 50 states' ESSA policies to determine the extent to which local education…

Prior research demonstrates that school leaders can help develop teacher efficacy by creating positive school climates, providing opportunities for mentoring and purposeful feedback, and providing meaningful professional learning (Bressman, Winters, & Efron, 2017; Fry, 2009; Ross & Bruce, 2007). Yet despite significant prior research on…

Lately, there has been an increased focus on the role that certification plays in the long-term performance of classroom teachers. In short, does certification matter? Many studies have analyzed the specific components and requirements of certification programs to determine which might be more predictive of long-term teaching success. This study…

Coherence among components of an instructional system is key to changing teachers' instructional practices in standards-based reforms. Coherence involves working across traditional silos--or system components (e.g., curriculum, professional learning, assessment)--to integrate components to avoid fragmentation of experiences for educators and…

The educator evaluation process can be a compliance task as well as an arduous process causing stress and anxiety for educators and their evaluators. The evaluation process in this suburban district is changing. Educators and evaluators are working together to create a new knowledge base and share it amongst their school community and others.…