The Moral Politics of Teacher Evaluation: The Public Debate About D.C.'s IMPACT

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: The Influences of Public Debate and Policy Narratives in Education

Abstract

States and districts across the US have adopted enhanced teacher evaluation policies (TEVAL) which incorporate multiple measures of teacher effectiveness. These policies sparked debate about what constitutes quality teaching. This paper examines the debate surrounding IMPACT, the TEVAL policy the Washington DC Public Schools adopted in 2009, and which became a national model. The paper draws on pragmatic sociology to analyze 195 newspaper and Internet texts published between 2008 and 2017. It identifies: 1) the arguments educational stakeholders, including researchers, used to defend or critique IMPACT, and 2) the visions of quality teaching and the public good(s) it serves that stakeholders infused into the public arena. The paper contributes to our understanding of the moral politics of educational policy.

Authors

• Dorothea M. Anagnostopoulos, The University of Connecticut

• Sian Charles-Harris, University of Connecticut