Quality Teaching for Diverse Classrooms? Examining a Teacher Evaluation Instrument for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Equity, Diversity, and Learning in Classrooms and Schools: Challenges and Potential Solutions

Abstract

Education reform efforts have emphasized teacher evaluation as a means to improve the quality of teaching and, consequently, increase the learning of all students. If teacher evaluation is indeed meant to improve the quality of education for all students, then it is important to know in what ways evaluation tools attend to issues of diversity and pedagogy that improves the academic achievement of marginalized students. Thus, in this paper I examine a widely-used classroom observation tool, Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, for aspects of culturally relevant pedagogy. My analysis reveals minimal evidence of culturally relevant pedagogy. Without explicit attention to such pedagogy, it is unlikely teachers will receive formative feedback in their evaluations that could maximize the learning of marginalized students.

Author

• Amy R. Guenther, Michigan State University