Presents a case study in supervising and evaluating a new teacher in which the principal verbalized the teacher's assumptions about her performance and about the teaching profession as a whole, in addition to giving hard observational data. (WD)

Before deciding to recommend nonrenewal of a teacher's contract, the principal must be prepared to identify specific areas where significant improvement is critical and to provide maximum possible assistance. Some tips are provided to help principals prepare the formal evaluation, lend assistance, make the final decision, and live with it. (MLH)

Suggests ways of judging teacher performance based on the five basic steps in the teacher evaluation process: (1) gathering information and making judgments; (2) holding the evaluation conference; (3) identifying areas needing improvement; (4) providing assistance; and (5) guiding the teacher out of teaching if improvement cannot be made.…

The incompetence of a few teachers can destroy the efforts of many excellent teachers. Principals need to know how to evaluate teachers effectively and act on their evaluations. The rationalizations typically used to justify failures to dismiss incompetent teachers will not stand up to scrutiny. (PGD)

Marginal teachers have three common behaviors that have questionable or negative effects on student learning: failure to create an appropriate classroom atmosphere, lack of personal insight and motivation, and unwillingness to accept responsibility for problems. When mentoring and improvement programs fail, collaborative programs with the right…

Describes one principal's experience in dealing with an incompetent teacher. (PKP)

A 1992 survey of 135 California principals identified key factors contributing to marginal teachers' performance: lack of motivation, burnout, and personal crises. Common symptoms of teacher marginality were persistent negative attitudes and classroom control problems. The most useful intervention strategies involved continuous classroom…