In an international benchmark survey of high school students, the U.S. consistently scores in the middle of the pack compared to many western European and eastern Asian countries. Finland has been among the top performers dating back to 2000. The country's performance led many in the U.S. to ask, what is Finland doing that is leading to high…

The purpose of this Professional Pathways for Teachers (PPfT) evaluation was to examine the measurement validity and reliability of PPfT appraisal data from the 2017-2018 school year in the Austin Independent School District. The PPfT appraisal is a multi-measure system that covers three areas: instructional practices (IP), professional growth and…

The purpose of this Professional Pathways for Teachers (PPfT) evaluation was to examine the measurement validity and reliability of PPfT appraisal data from the 2017-2018 school year in the Austin Independent School District. The PPfT appraisal is a multi-measure system that covers three areas: instructional practices (IP), professional growth and…

This article examines academic administrators' attitudes towards the academic evaluation process in the US and those factors that are utilised to improve teaching. We use path regressions to examine satisfaction with evaluation procedures, as well as the direct and indirect effects of these factors on perceptions of whether the evaluation process…

Many teacher candidates, cooperating teachers, school administrators, and physical education teacher education (PETE) programs have increased responsibilities and needs related to teacher performance assessments (TPA). One TPA in particular is increasing in usage across all content subject areas in the United States: the Education Teacher…

The purpose of this study was to develop a "Water strider" Inquiry Learning Program for improved inquiry learning, and to analyze the validity of the "Water strider." The Inquiry Learning Program's goal was to create an application for finding out an on-site applicability for the "Water strider" Inquiry Learning…

Background/Context: With a growing body of evidence to support the assertion that teacher quality is vital to producing better student outcomes, policymakers continue to seek solutions to attract and retain the best educators. Performance-based pay is a reform that has become popular in K-12 education over the last decade. This strategy…

This literature review explores current post-secondary practices for evaluating online instructors. As enrollment of students in online courses has steadily increased over the last few decades, instructor evaluation has lagged behind. Through a thematic analysis of existing literature, this review seeks to answer these questions: (1) How are…

Literature is examined to support the contention that student evaluations of teaching (SET) should not be used for summative evaluation of university faculty. Recommendations for alternatives to SET are provided.

Auditing, accountability, and transparency are concepts that greatly impact the working conditions of today's public sector professionals, including teachers. Documentation requirements have been on the increase for some time, which can be seen in the education sector's Individual Development Plans (IDPs), for example. These IDPs are pedagogical…

The advent of problem-based assessment has opened the question of whether or not conventional approaches to assessment are truly a representative of students' knowledge (Lampert, 2001). In an attempt to find out about the suitability of problem-based tests in evaluating student-teachers' knowledge of teaching English, a problem-based test was…

"Playlinks," the project documented in this paper, contributed a theatre-based artist-in-the-classroom study to the Community Arts Zone initiative. "Playlinks" involved 248 elementary school classrooms in pre- and post-production workshops connected to live theatre that visited their schools. Data sources included researcher…

While many factors have been identified as influencing student academic performance, previous studies consistently determined effective teaching as the most significant factor, within the control of educators, leading to improved student achievement. Nonetheless, educational experts, statisticians, and policy-makers alike acknowledged the…

The focus of this study was to measure elementary, middle, and high school administrators' beliefs regarding the appropriateness of the Mississippi Statewide Teacher Appraisal Rubric domains, as well as their perceptions regarding the Mississippi Statewide Teacher Appraisal Rubric's overall alignment with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure…

Universities and colleges are charged with the broad task of providing their students with the skills that will allow them to be successful in their chosen fields. The perception that teacher preparation programs hold the key to the knowledge and skills necessary to have a successful career is being unclear from the consumer's perspective. While…