Charlotte's Web: Whiteness in Teacher Evaluation and the Dangers of the Danielson Framework

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Division K Roundtable Session

Abstract

The Danielson Framework for Teaching (FFT) is the most widely used and accepted teacher evaluation tool in the United States. Over a dozen states and hundreds of local school districts have adopted the FFT. While there are merits to the FFT, this paper will not discuss them. Rather, this paper looks at the FFT through the lens of Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) and utilizes Discourse Analysis to examine how the language in the Danielson framework helps to normalize whiteness in teaching practice. I ultimately argue that the Danielson Framework’s use in teacher evaluation is one of the ways that coercive forces of whiteness permeate school settings nationwide.

Author

• Janese Nolan, Loyola University Chicago