Strengths and weaknesses of systems for evaluating teaching in medical schools are reviewed, and a framework for dealing with issues and critical questions is presented. The model addresses the following areas: goals of the school, the purpose of evaluating teaching, standards that characterize the quality of teaching evaluation measures, measures that can be used, procedural issues, strategic issues, and evaluating evaluation. The following specific purposes of evaluating teaching are analyzed: allocation, sensitivity and appreciation, improvement of instruction, promotion and tenure, articulation of a value, program evaluation, and research on teaching. The quality of measures of teaching can be characterized by the following standards: reliability, validity, generalizability, assignment indicator, and utility and acceptability. Measures that could be used are assessed, and the following procedural issues are covered: the need for written policy, from whom and in what form data will be collected, collecting and analyzing data, and who will see the evaluation results. Strategic issues concern resistance to evaluating teaching, the consequences of change, and conditions conducive to change. A questionnaire to guide evaluating the evaluation, references, and an outline summarizing the evaluation process are included. (SW)