How Charter School Principals Use Teacher Evaluation Systems

• In Event: 66.057 - Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: 66.057-20 - Everybody's Doing It: Principals and Teachers Making Sense of Evaluation, Reform, and Charter Schools

Abstract

Nationally, teacher evaluation policies have evolved dramatically in recent years. However, how these policies look in practice is largely dependent on context. This comparative case study followed two charter school principals who work in low-socioeconomic status (SES), primarily African-American schools in Michigan as they evaluated their teaching staff. The research questions that guided this work were: (1) How do charter school principals use teacher evaluation systems? And (2) what factor(s) impact how charter school principals evaluate the teachers in their building? The results show teacher attrition was a primary concern for principals. Because of this, these principals use teacher evaluations as a means to improve teacher retention and create teacher mentors. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Author

• David B. Reid, Seton Hall University