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policy 2.0
July 10, 2009
A group of 28 sets out to make a fair teacher evaluation system
A group of 28 teachers, administrators, and policymakers have taken on a lofty summer assignment: They plan to come up with an ideal teacher evaluation system, or at least a report explaining the “essential elements” of one, and to do it by the fall.
The effort is the latest in a string of reports and announcements focusing on the way teachers are evaluated, a process that has been called broken by everyone from teachers union officials to The New Teacher Project, a nonprofit created by Michelle Rhee. A report by The New Teacher Project called evaluation systems “largely meaningless,” and the American Federation of Teachers union has launched an internal working group to build its own recommendations for what comprises a fair evaluation system.
A novel nonprofit called Hope Street Group is behind the effort to involve educators in the debate. Created in 2003 as a volunteer-only experiment, Hope Street Group now has a full-time staff that works to build “coalitions of the reasonable” around domestic policy questions by gathering diverse groups of people to solve them together.
In a process officials at Hope Street Group call Policy 2.0, business executives and policy experts join with doctors or nurses or — in this case — teachers via small working groups, and then come up with a policy recommendation that everyone can agree on.
The team of 28 people who have signed up to write guidelines for a teacher evaluation system includes administrators, teachers, and policy experts, and they come from all around the country, Hope Street officials said. “This is a chance for an authentic and neutral voice,” said Catherine Cullen, a staffer who will work with the teacher-evaluation group.
The teacher evaluation project will be the first time the nonprofit, created in 2003, has built a policy proposal entirely on the Internet. The group built a new online platform that is essentially a specialized Facebook, where participants can talk to each other, divide into smaller groups, and share information.
The recommendations will also be published online, along with a database of examples of real evaluations used in school districts that principals and superintendents could search through.
A recent education recommendation by Hope Street Group won the endorsement of Arne Duncan, President Obama’s education secretary. The recommendation suggested that the federal stimulus package should focus on education, including five specific areas:
1. Building capacity to measure, manage, and improve performance;
2. Ensuring all students have access to a quality teacher;
3. Advancing teaching into a 21st-century profession;
4. Establishing high, competitive standards and assessments; and
5. Promoting best practices and rewarding innovation.
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July 10th, 2009 5:53 pm
I look forward to what this group comes up with.
I would also be interested in how to relate current teacher evaluation (and yes, I’m well aware of how controversial this topic is), with PROSPECTIVE TEACHER evaluation.
After all, I keep hearing that if we hire MORE teachers, that means we are be definition lowering our standards. I think that’s hooey, but it’s out there. From Chancellor Klein himself. As part of a rationale for keeping (non-charter) class sizes high. And somehow that barrel-dipping argument doesn’t apply to new teachers hired for charters. Go figger.
P.S. The main post had me fooled with “Building capacity…” Ah well.
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July 10th, 2009 7:11 pm
I’m so glad to see teachers involved in this process. Nothing is so upsetting to me than to see non-educators making all the decisions that affect classroom teachers and their students. This practice probably has a lot to do with the fact that many of our best college grads do not choose teaching as a profession. They know that they will likely not be decision-makers outside of their classrooms.
About twenty years ago I applied for a mentor teacher position in my district. I believe the money and the requirements came from the state level so certain procedures had to be followed. I was interviewed by a team of teachers and administrators who came to my classroom several times to observe. They asked to see student work that showed progress from September. This was the only time in my long career that I was carefully evaluated. Most of my other evaluations were perfunctory affairs that left me feeling somewhat disappointed despite all the “outstanding” marks. Some principals actually copied my evaluations from other administrators. Of course teachers know when this is done but they rarely say anything because they’re usually so relieved to have the process over with.
During my tenure I always longed for people to see how much my students had learned but no one had the time to really get to know each child in my classroom. What I suspect many teachers would like is for another teacher to come in the fall, evaluate the achievement level of each child (with formal and informal observations) and then come again in the spring to note the progress of each child. This wouldn’t have to be costly if teachers exchanged classrooms to perform evaluations.
I’m glad that President Obama and Arne Duncan are asking for the input from teachers. This is the first step towards getting the improvement that we all want. Nothing will happen without the cooperation of teachers.
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December 7th, 2009 6:02 pm
report’s out — how did HSG do?
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December 7th, 2009 6:36 pm
Only once during my 42 years of teaching was I carefully evaluated and, as I was very satisfied with the process, I thought other teachers might be interested in hearing a description of it.
Sometime in the 1980’s I applied to be a mentor teacher in my district. It was a state-financed program that required the input of other teachers as well as administrators. I was required to fill out an application and answer questions about my teaching. The application required letters of recommendation from three district educators (teachers or administrators). Next I had to be interviewed by a committee of experienced teachers from throughout the district. Finally, the members of this committee visited my classroom several times to observe lessons. I was asked to show student work and my students were interviewed as well.
I was accepted into the program and was paid a stipend for helping other teachers in addition to my regular classroom duties. Other teachers seemed to be happy for me and I don’t recall any negative feedback.What I liked best about the evaluation was the system of checks and balances that was built into it. Because I was evaluated by a team of teachers from throughout the district (most of whom I didn’t know), there was little chance of favoritism. Also, the teachers seemed really interested in the work of my students. As most educators know, teachers are often forced to work in isolation and sometimes crave feedback from other adults.
My feeling is that teachers would welcome meaningful evaluation, but it’s very important for it to be fair (not based on the personal feelings of one administrator) and authentic (i.e. based on multiple measures of student success and teacher performance).
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December 7th, 2009 6:39 pm
Oops! I didn’t realize I had already responded to this post with essentially the same story. Please excuse this senior moment!
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