Purpose: This study focused on identifying measurable constructs of a restorative classroom and appropriate metrics to measure those constructs through content validity analysis of a direct observation tool. The tool was designed to assess restorative practices implementation in the classroom in the context of professional development supporting…

Purpose: Our study focused on identifying measurable constructs of a restorative classroom and appropriate metrics to measure those constructs through content validity analysis of a direct observation tool. The tool was designed to assess restorative practices implementation in the classroom in the context of professional development supporting…

Teacher evaluation systems are associated with teacher quality, accountability, performance observations, and support. These systems are typically comprised of multiple measures including at least observations of teaching and student performance data reflecting teacher impact. Many criticisms of these systems have emerged not necessarily from the…

Developing tailored implementation strategies to increase the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) requires accurate identification of predictors of their use. However, known difficulties with measuring EBP use complicates interpretation of the extant literature. In this proof-of-concept study, we examined whether the same predictors of use of…

Fidelity is defined as doing what is intended. The purpose of measuring fidelity is to assist with supporting implementation. Collecting fidelity data provides an opportunity to problem-solve throughout the process versus waiting for outcome data. More often than not, purchased programs and curriculum materials are missing a research-validated…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to research how school and principal demographics influence a principal's implementation of the walkthrough process. Principals from New Jersey were administered a survey to provide insight into how they implement the walkthrough process in their schools. The findings suggest that socioeconomic status and…

Instructional leaders require timely and predictive data to guide post-pandemic systemic changes. We investigated the predictability of an observational instrument, the Rigor Appraisal, and its association with achievement and other school effectiveness measures in a sample of 53 schools in Illinois. We found that increases in the Rigor Appraisal…

Globally, teacher professional development is heralded as a key mechanism for educational reform. With governments investing heavily in PD programs, the aim of these interventions is not only enhanced teacher knowledge and practice but, ultimately, improved student outcomes. A substantial body of research has attempted to identify characteristics…

Background: Race to the Top era teacher evaluation reforms sought to improve teacher effectiveness and, ultimately, student achievement through either accountability or developmental mechanisms (Donaldson, 2021). Quasi-experimental teacher evaluation studies find mixed results in urban and large-scale settings (Dee & Wyckoff, 2015; Steinberg…

Multiple researchers have described walkthroughs as effective ways for instructional leaders (commonly principals, but also various other roles like assistant principals and teacher coaches) to play an active role in generating focused, qualitative data to inform schoolwide improvement efforts (Bole & Farizo, 2013; Starrett, 2015). In addition…

Studies investigating the effectiveness of professional development (PD) programs have provided no conclusive findings on what exactly makes a PD effort effective. Using an observation-based coaching PD program, we explore which features in the PD implementation process facilitated or impeded teachers' meaningful engagement in and learning from…

The research is clear: Including students with disabilities in general education classrooms is the most effective way for all students to learn. If you are working toward greater inclusivity in your school or system, this book from educators and inclusion experts Julie Causton, Kate MacLeod, Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, Jenna Mancini Rufo, and Paul…

In the context of a professional learning research project we investigated the nature of support offered to classroom teachers and school mathematics leaders to facilitate teachers' implementation of sequences of challenging tasks. End of year questionnaire data were collected from 70 Foundation to Year 2 teachers and ten numeracy leaders who…

The design, flexibility, and iterative nature that is inherent to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) makes it difficult to consistently measure. With federal policy encouraging the implementation of UDL, there is an increased need for practitioners to reliably measure the occurrence of UDL. The UDL Observation Measurement Tool (UDL-OMT) was…

Purpose: Recent teacher evaluation reforms across the globe can improve student outcomes, though doing so depends on implementation by school leaders. This study aims to describe how teacher reports about classroom observation processes (TROPs) vary across within-teacher observations, teachers and schools and depend on contextual, teacher and…