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Being Evaluated: Unintended Consequences of Teacher Evaluation Practices

Sat, April 9, 12:25 to 1:55pm, Convention Center, Floor: Level Two, Exhibit Hall D Section C

Abstract

Teacher evaluation activities are consistently championed as a form of professional development. However, missing within teacher evaluation discourse are teachers’ voices. How do teachers experience these activities? The focus of this ethnographic study is to include teachers’ voices in teacher evaluation research. Teachers offer insight into unintended consequences during teacher evaluation activities. Instead of measuring validity of tools used during teacher evaluation, this study offers new perspectives into teachers' lived experiences during policy implementation. More specifically, how do participants interpret, mediate, and contest meanings of roles, expectations, practices, and cultural tools during implementation of a new teacher evaluation system? Findings suggest that teachers encounter numerous tensions when navigating activities that are framed as learning opportunities but experienced as inauthentic performances.

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