From Compliance to Growth: Reframing Teacher Evaluation For Sustainable Professional Learning

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Two
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT075 (Thursday)

Abstract

Currently, teacher evaluation systems are designed to measure instructional quality, but, in practice, they serve as tools of compliance that perpetuate inequities, particularly for Black and Brown Educators. This qualitative study reimagines evaluation and professional development as interconnected networks that promote equity, reflection, and sustainable teacher growth. Drawing on Transformative Learning Theory and Constructive-Developmental Theory, the study gathers data from two sites: a D.C. middle school implementing a reflective coaching intervention within the IMPACT framework and a Bronx charter school that replaced rubric-based evaluations with identity-centered coaching. Preliminary findings show increased teacher agency, psychological safety, and collaboration without sacrificing accountability, which offers a framework for equitable, teacher-centered evaluation and professional learning systems.

Authors

• Allen Baugh, District of Columbia Public Schools

• Dylan Ravdin, American University and Bronx Charter School for the Arts