The teacher evaluation process has been an area of study for decades because of its complexity. Going back to one-room schoolhouses, teaching has always been an isolated profession--usually a room, a teacher, and students. Other colleagues or administrators are not participants in the classroom most of the time, which creates difficulties for…

This study's purpose is to extend our understanding of school leadership for student learning by identifying high-leverage teacher evaluation practices that improve teaching. A partnership with a state education agency administered a teacher questionnaire regarding evaluation practices multiple times in one semester, then linked teacher responses…

There is presently little consensus on how evaluators evaluate special education teachers. The lack of agreement may be due to the training of evaluators. Special education teachers work under various conditions with a diverse population. In this dissertation, we reviewed the challenges associated with evaluating special education teachers,…

Recent times have seen the growth in the number and scope of interacting professional reform movements in science, centered on themes such as open research, research integrity, responsible research assessment, and responsible metrics. The responsible metrics movement identifies the growing influence of quantitative performance indicators as a…

Research indicates that teacher performance is a critical focus for school districts, administrators, and teachers. Pre-service teacher preparation, teacher retention, job satisfaction, mentoring, continuous feedback, and onboarding support for new teachers are all factors that influence teacher performance (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond,…

Teacher performance scores inform education leaders' management of teacher human resources. However, prior research has implied that different interpretations of performance criteria between teachers and their evaluators suppress teacher development. Although research has examined teacher perceptions of performance scores and compared teacher…

This article shares the findings of a qualitative case study examining the experiences of teacher leaders as they engaged as teacher evaluators alongside school principals. Data collection included observations and interviews with four teacher leaders and three school principals to answer these research questions: (1) What TDEM structures have…

The educator evaluation process can be a compliance task as well as an arduous process causing stress and anxiety for educators and their evaluators. The evaluation process in this suburban district is changing. Educators and evaluators are working together to create a new knowledge base and share it amongst their school community and others.…

The purpose of this quantitative, repeated measure, ex-post facto study was to investigate the trajectory of principals' ability to develop and maintain the knowledge to accurately rate teaching practices in eight of ten observable components on the "Framework for Teaching" (Danielson, 2013). Principals' scores on initial proficiency…

This cross-case synthesis gives voice to evaluators in EC-12 and higher education settings who are enacting a state-mandated system of teacher evaluation and support by examining their perceptions of the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS). Questions addressed included: How do differently situated school administrators and…

This study investigated teacher evaluation practices used in Indiana as the state was implementing a mandated teacher evaluation system (Public Law 90) and early reporting of subsequent teacher effectiveness results by the Indiana Department of Education. The study surveyed public school administrators: (a) superintendents, (b) special education…

Districts nationwide have increased the frequency of teacher evaluations. Yet, we know little about the role of evaluator feedback for teacher improvement. Using unique classroom observation-level data, we use evaluator ratings and teacher self-assessments of teacher performance to rigorously examine (positive and negative) feedback valence from…

Teacher observations are being used for high-stakes purposes in states across the country, and administrators often serve as raters in teacher evaluation systems. This paper examines how the cognitive aspects of administrators' use of an observation instrument, a modified version of Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching, interact with the…

Spurred by "Race to the Top," efforts to improve teacher evaluation systems have provided states with an opportunity to get teacher evaluation right. Despite the fact that a core reform area of "Race to the Top" was the use of teacher evaluation to provide on-going and meaningful feedback for instructional decision making, we…

Teacher perceptions after 5 years of implementing evaluation protocols that were initiated under Race to the Top revealed attitudes about the evaluation instrument used and the nature of their relationship with the evaluator. This study surveyed middle and high school teachers in nine Eastern Tennessee school districts. Data indicated unintended…