Evaluating Instruction in Special Education: Principals' Sense-Making Process

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Evidence on the Role of Principals in Policy Implementation

Abstract

Principals’ evaluation of instruction is a potentially powerful lever for improving teachers’ instructional practice. Yet, without appropriate knowledge, their ability to support effective instruction is hampered. This is particularly important in special education, given principals’ historical lack of knowledge regarding effective practice for students with disabilities (SWD). In this paper, we examine this problem by focusing on principals’ use of Danielson’s Framework for Teaching (FFT; Danielson, 2013). Using qualitative interviews, we find that prior experiences are a distinguishing factor in how principals make sense of instruction provided to SWD. These data suggest that without experience as a special educator to anchor their conceptions of teaching, FFT focused principals’ attention on practices that — though beneficial — are not critical for SWD.

Authors

• Hannah Morris Mathews, University of Florida

• Nathan Jones, Boston University