Teacher Evaluations
Education news, analysis, and opinion about how teachers’ job performance is reviewed
Teacher Evaluation: An Issue Overview
This overview covers teacher evaluation and includes information on evaluation models, controversies, research, and reform trends.
Student Achievement
Does Performance-Based Teacher Pay Work? Here’s What the Research Says
A performance-pay overhaul in one of the country's 10 largest districts offers a test for lessons learned from decades of experimentation.
Policy & Politics
Opinion
Teacher-Evaluation Policies Have Flopped. Where Did They Go Wrong?
Responsible education advocates know that the measure of an idea is not how promising it seems in theory but how well it works in practice.
Teaching Profession
Principals or Peers: Who Should Evaluate Teachers?
A new study reveals telling differences in how teachers respond.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Want Vibrant, Engaged Teachers? Give Them Professional Freedom
A deputy superintendent explains how his district has created a stimulating environment by trusting teachers to experiment.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
The Most Important Thing Principals Can Do in a Teacher Observation
The best feedback I ever got came during my first year teaching—and it started with just one word.
Teaching Profession
Black Teachers, Pay Incentives, and Evaluation Systems: What New Research Shows
Black teachers in D.C. respond differently than their peers to job-evaluation pressures—and are less likely to opt into a bonus system.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
It's Time to Give Feedback Another Chance. Here Are 3 Ways to Get It Right
Teachers and school leaders have a love-hate relationship with feedback, but that's not feedback's fault. It's all in how we approach it.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
How to Create a Positive Atmosphere for Teacher Observations
Listening to "understand" instead of "reply" and focusing on teachers' strengths, not weaknesses, can make the observation more comfortable.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Throw Out the Protocol for Teacher Observations. Use Common Sense Instead
Narrow the focus when you do a classroom observation, ditch the laptop, and engage with students are a few ideas for improving the practice.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
How to Make Teacher Observations (Almost) Stress-Free
Frequent walk-throughs are one way to reduce anxiety and build trust between teachers and administrators.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
18 Ways to Improve Teacher Observations
Holding pre- and post-conferences, showing more compassion and less judgment, and organizing peer observations are valuable.
Professional Development
Opinion
Embracing the Power of Video Use in Teacher Evaluations
Learn how one district championed using video for teacher reviews with the full support of its teachers' union.
Teaching Profession
Efforts to Toughen Teacher Evaluations Show No Positive Impact on Students
After a decade of expensive evaluation reforms, new research shows no positive effect on student test scores or educational attainment.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
I’m Back in the Classroom With a Ph.D. and Some Advice for Policymakers
Bad policies don't make teaching any easier, especially in a pandemic, writes educator Amanda Slaten Frasier.