The National Academy of Education (NAEd) undertook this consensus report on the evaluation and improvement of teacher preparation programs (TPPs). Specifically, this consensus report aims to (1) identify and disseminate best practices for evaluating and improving TPPs to promote teacher effectiveness and student achievement; (2) provide…

In exploring the question of teaching effectiveness research, this essay provides historical insight, an analysis of present day uses of this research data, and examples of the potential utility of this research. (MM)

Describes how the average teacher, in assessing the effectiveness of instructional materials, utilizes research methodologies. (Author)

Compares the presumption of "validity" of student evaluation of teaching quality with: (1) results of studies at the University of Washington on the influence of grade expectation and workload on student ratings; (2) attempts at the University of Rochester to use agency theory to improve teaching quality; and (3) the peer review model…

The drawbacks of the common practice of using check-lists for teacher evaluation include inadequate measurement that emphasizes evaluation only, lack of objective data gathering techniques, and lack of reliable and consistent teacher performance criteria. An inservice program for school principals was designed to improve their observation and…

Increased demands for colleges and universities to engage in outcomes assessment for accountability purposes have accelerated the need to bridge the gap between higher education practice and the fields of measurement, assessment, and evaluation. The "Handbook on Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation in Higher Education" provides higher…

Social studies research has told us very little in the past 30 years. There are several reasons for this state of affairs in social studies. First, inferential statistics has become much too prominent in research thinking and practice. Replication should be used by researchers to build a useful body of knowledge. A second reason for lack of…

The validity of classroom research literature, centering on content, methodology, and audience, and the appraisal process for teachers are examined. Those engaged in classroom observation should be aware of the limitations of research. The concept of action research provides an alternative to the study of teachers and classrooms that recognizes…

Researchers investigated the extent to which elementary student teacher evaluation forms used by teacher training institutions embodied evaluative criteria identified by teacher effectiveness research. Reviews of 368 programs' forms indicated significant variability and a need for clear conceptualization of elementary teacher training programs.…

A model for preservice and inservice teacher self-assessment, which fosters improved performance, is divided into two phases. Phase 1 begins at the preservice level, and phase 2 is carried out during the time the teacher is under contract in a school setting. During phase 1, the teacher candidate explores the answers to three questions in…

The wide variety of contexts in which good teaching takes place, a desirable circumstance from most points of view, creates problems, not the least of which is evaluation. Systematic observation is one measurement procedure that can provide some of the data essential to reliable observation. The fourteenth National Symposium for Professionals in…

A number of issues involved in the large-scale assessment of science and mathematics education were illustrated during the conduct of two national surveys: the 1977 National Survey of Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies Education and the 1985 National Survey, Science and Mathematics Education. Development of the survey questionnaires started…

The Action Oriented, Reflection Oriented (AORO) observation instrument was designed to help teachers determine their students' cognitive preferences. The assumption underlying the instrument was that learning is enhanced when teaching strategies and materials take into account the student's natural tendency toward action or reflection. AORO…

The knowledge and abilities are available today to ensure that teacher preparation programs graduate only potentially superior teachers. Process-product research of the past decade has confirmed many aspects of what superior teachers in prior times knew only intuitively. To aid in the organization of this research the acronym TEMPO can be used. T…

This book, which is written for English teachers in secondary schools and colleges, particularly junior college, is an attempt to provide a convenient and concise statement regarding prevailing tendencies and issues in teaching writing. These are related to correction, the tutorial conference, motivating composition, grammar, research, and lack of…