Music Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Effectiveness, and Marginalized Populations

While the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) does not explicitly require teacher evaluation, both ESSA and the Higher Education Act (HEA) require states to evaluate teacher quality and effectiveness for reports regarding factors such as educational equity and teacher licensure program evaluation. Moreover, states are heavily invested in evaluating teacher effectiveness, and rhetoric in federal, state, and local governance revolves around eliminating “bad teachers,” so teacher evaluation will continue. Ostensibly, teacher evaluation is intended to increase teacher effectiveness and student achievement. This chapter argues that standardized, high-stakes teacher evaluation reduces music teacher effectiveness, particularly with regard to inclusion and cultural responsiveness. It begins with a brief critical review of the literature on music teacher evaluation, marginalized populations in school music education, and equitable and inclusive practices in the music classroom. It then uses fictionalized vignettes to illustrate an analysis of the cognitive dissonances and perverse incentives inherent in music teacher evaluation and how they manifest in three broad categories: (1) contributing to the gap between theory and practice; (2) misusing measurement tools; and (3) forcing teachers to remain in the status quo, unable to stray from formulaic “markers of effectiveness” to take the risks necessary for the creative, innovative work of inclusion and cultural responsiveness. The chapter concludes with specific suggestions for music teachers who wish to resist these effects of teacher evaluation on their instruction.

Music Teacher Evaluation

This chapter outlines the nature of music teacher evaluation found in existing and related literature and research. From these writings, there are an abundance of emergent themes that provide stakeholders with an opportunity to examine this topic and consider its application in their own settings. These themes include ideas related to the following: the intent of teacher evaluation; the role of teacher evaluation; what an effective teacher is; the importance of multifaceted evaluation systems; the place of student learning in the evaluative process; the various forms of evidence used to evaluate educators; the fact that research and practice should be intertwined in developing evaluation systems; the role of testing; the degree to which observation and self-reflection should be involved in teacher evaluation; the importance of clear and concise goals for learners; and the impact that systems of evaluation will have on the educators, schools, students, and American education as a whole. This chapter intends to allow stakeholders the opportunity to reflect on all of these issues and challenges.