A Tale of Two Districts

Autor/in	Simon, Mark
Titel	A Tale of Two Districts
Quelle	In: Educational Leadership, 70 (2012) 3, S.58-63 (6 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0013-1784
Schlagwörter	Evaluation Methods; Public Schools; Unions; Educational Change; School Districts; Teacher Evaluation; Counties; Comparative Analysis; Cooperation; Partnerships in Education; Evaluators; Administration; Teachers; Principals; District of Columbia; Maryland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Public school; Öffentliche Schule; Bildungsreform; School district; Schulbezirk; Teacher appraisal; Lehrerbeurteilung; Co-operation; Kooperation; Hochschulpartnerschaft; Verwaltung; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Principal; Schulleiter
Abstract	These days, everyone seems to be wringing their hands about how to construct new evaluation systems that will make teachers better. This unnecessary angst has led to crazy experiments in reform that have embraced churn for the sake of churn, put school districts at risk, and demoralized many of the most talented teachers. A few school districts, however, have resisted panic, pressures, and fads. Instead, they have invested in models that work. The District of Columbia Public Schools has been at the forefront of a risky, six-year adventure in "bold" reform. The centerpiece of the reform is IMPACT, a teacher evaluation system that has been both lauded and criticized. It's been a rocky ride. The new teacher evaluation approach was implemented in 2009 under mayoral control. The mayor under whose watch it was initiated was defeated in his reelection bid, and schools chancellor Michelle Rhee resigned in 2010. But the reform agenda has continued largely unchanged until this year, although its track record is, at best, mixed. Right next door in Maryland, Montgomery County Public Schools' teacher evaluation model is in its second generation after 12 years. The author taught in the county and then represented teachers when the district administration and the teachers union collaborated in crafting the new teacher evaluation system. Over the years, Montgomery County's system has produced rich evidence of success. Most important, the collaborative relationships established between the administration and the teachers union have enabled the district to continue to refine what works. Far from being an objective observer, the author has been intimately involved in the efforts in both districts, with a close-up view of how these teacher evaluation reforms were developed and how they are perceived by the workforce. He believes that a comparison of their track records shows that one approach is actually better. Such a comparison enables districts to distill a set of principles that are crucial to the success of teacher evaluation systems. (Contains 1 endnote.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	ASCD. 1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714. Tel: 800-933-2723; Tel: 703-578-9600; Fax: 703-575-5400; Web site: http://www.ascd.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10