Leaders’ Negotiation of Teacher Evaluation Policy in Immigrant-Serving Schools

2021 ◽  
pp. 089590482110156
Author(s):  
Reva Jaffe-Walter ◽  
Adriana Villavicencio
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
Teacher Evaluation Policy ◽  
Evaluation Policies

This paper examines how school leaders working within schools serving immigrant English Learners negotiate teacher evaluation policies, including how they influence compliance with mandated policies, communicate those policies to teachers, and guide implementation within their professional communities. We explore how a leader in a school with positive outcomes negotiates external policies to support authentic professional growth and maximize learning opportunities for immigrant ELs. In addition, we draw on data from a comparison school that also serves a high proportion of ELs, but where policies have been enacted in ways that focus on compliance, increase anxiety, and add little value to EL students. In doing so, we show how leaders can mitigate the unintended consequences of mandated policies by addressing teachers’ uncertainty and anxieties, while reaffirming humanizing institutional practices that honor the local knowledge of teachers and deepen teachers’ collective responsibility for immigrant youth.

scholarly journals Better integrating summative and formative goals in the design of next generation teacher evaluation systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Timothy G. Ford ◽  
Kim Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Evaluation System ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Evaluation Policy ◽  
Evaluation Systems ◽  
Teacher Evaluation Policy ◽  
Teacher Evaluation Systems

In current teacher evaluation systems, the two main purposes of evaluation—accountability/goal accomplishment (summative) and professional growth/improvement (formative)—are often at odds with one another. However, they are not only compatible, but linking them within a unified teacher evaluation system may, in fact, be desirable. The challenge of the next generation of teacher evaluation systems will be to better integrate these two purposes in policy and practice. In this paper, we integrate the frameworks of Self-determination theory and Stronge’s Improvement-Oriented Model for Performance Evaluation. We use this integrated framework to critically examine teacher evaluation policy in Hawaii and Washington, D.C.—two distinctly different approaches to teacher evaluation—for the purposes of identifying a set of clear recommendations for improving the design and implementation of teacher evaluation policy moving forward.

Shared leadership: A comparative case study of two first year US principals’ socialization around teacher evaluation policy

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B Reid
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Elementary School Principals ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
New Teacher ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
First Year ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Teacher Evaluation Policy ◽  
The Us ◽  
Evaluation Policies

New career principals are tasked with many sensemaking opportunities and often rely on their peers to assist with these sensemaking processes, engaging in a form of newcomer socialization. This study investigates how two first year elementary school principals in the US state of Michigan become socialized to their new roles as school leaders by examining how these individuals make sense of new teacher evaluation policies and systems. Findings show these principals relied on their social networks to make sense of the teacher evaluation process. These principals did so in an effort to establish positive and trusting relationships with their colleagues and in an effort to make up for a lack of initial training with these systems. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

scholarly journals How middle school special and general educators make sense of and respond to changes in teacher evaluation policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Alisha M. B. Braun ◽  
Peter Youngs
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Student Growth ◽  
General Educators ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Sensemaking Theory ◽  
Teacher Evaluation Policy ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Evaluation Policies

In this multiple case study, we apply sensemaking theory to examine and compare how middle school special and general educators perceive and respond to teacher evaluation reform, including formal classroom observations, informal walkthroughs, and student growth measures. Our findings reveal that special educators experience conflict between the policy’s main elements and their understandings of how to effectively teach students with disabilities. Furthermore, special and general educators held contrasting beliefs regarding the appropriateness of evaluation. Our findings illustrate the importance of acknowledging differences in special and general educators’ roles and responsibilities and encourage policymakers to reconsider uniform teacher evaluation policies. 

scholarly journals "It's Not a Gotcha": Interpreting Teacher Evaluation Policy in Rural School District

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane F. Gilles
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Evaluation ◽  
School Districts ◽  
State Level ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural School Districts ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Evaluation Policy ◽  
Policy Actors ◽  
Teacher Evaluation Policy ◽  
Evaluation Policies

This multi-case study explored how local policy actors in rural school districts interpreted new teacher evaluation policies and how state-level policy actors influenced local policy responses. In the first phase of the study, teachers and administrators in four rural school districts in two U.S. states were interviewed about new state teacher evaluation policies and their own local efforts to meet policy demands, while the study’s second phase investigated the work of state-level policy actors. Shedding light on the realities of tackling reform mandates in rural schools, the study finds that teacher evaluation policy efforts are challenged by the tension between the formative and summative purposes of teacher evaluation, that teacher evaluation policies allowing local control in system design require a significant commitment at the local level, that local actors rely on and value the work of policy intermediaries, and that interpreting teacher evaluation policy and planning for implementation can be particularly challenging in small rural school districts.

scholarly journals Occupational burnout following the first wave of coronavirus disease at a Welsh district general hospital

2021 ◽  
pp. 175114372110100
Author(s):  
Gayathri Chinnappa Srinivas ◽  
Anwen Whitham ◽  
Rachel Rouse ◽  
Vincent Hamlyn ◽  
Matthew Williams
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
District General Hospital ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Direct Patient Care ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Occupational Burnout ◽  
Staff Burnout ◽  
The Impact

A survey was conducted to identify the prevalence of occupational burnout amongst health care professionals caring for COVID-19 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a Welsh hospital. The response rate was 79%. Nurses and other staff reassigned to work in the ICU had higher levels of burnout. Working in Personal Protective Equipment was most distressing, followed by direct patient care. There were positive outcomes including learning opportunities, professional development and job satisfaction. The impact of the pandemic on staff burnout may have been mitigated by acknowledging the contribution of staff, improving communication and encouraging them to access support.

Experiences of newly qualified midwives working in clinical practice during their transition period

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 524-530
Author(s):  
Heather Watson ◽  
Donna Brown
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Clinical Area ◽  
Care Environment ◽  
The Impact

Background With greater numbers of midwives being trained to counteract the predicted shortages, it seems that it is now more vital than ever to explore how newly qualified midwives (NQMs) describe their experiences in the clinical environment, the support they have received, and identify barriers to their development during the transition period. Aim The aim of this study was to explore NQMs experiences of working clinically during the transition from student to qualified midwife. Method Using a qualitative approach, eight NQMs participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings The findings revealed four key themes that sum up the NQMs experiences: expectations and realities of the role; creating conditions for professional growth; the impact of the care environment; and limitations to creating a healthful culture. Conclusions The clearly articulated journey that has been described by the NQMs demonstrated that there is both a need and desire to change, improve and develop the transition period for all new midwives working in clinical practice. Consideration needs to be given to more robust guidance, with some ideas for development, such as support forums for NQMs to meet up on a regular basis; advanced planned rotation with flexibility; a named preceptor/‘buddy’ in each clinical area; and a shared online forum to allow the NQMs to discuss and share experiences, and to signpost to any useful information or learning opportunities available.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document