Searching for Equity-Centered Partnerships in Teacher Evaluation Frameworks

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Evaluating Teaching Programs and Teachers for Quality and Effectiveness

Abstract

Theorizing on family engagement has moved away from deficit characterizations and school-based involvement to an asset-based approach focused on equitable stakeholder collaborations. This paper sought to understand whether these shifts in thinking are evident in how teacher evaluation rubrics characterize exemplary teaching. Using directed qualitative content analysis to examine 15 teacher evaluation rubrics, the current study determined that many evaluation systems remain narrowly focused on the procedural aspects of teaching. Teacher evaluation documents too often viewed teacher engagement merely as a mechanism to yield academic gains and meet legal requirements. These results have implications for the design of teacher evaluation policies and the furthering of equity-centered partnerships with families and communities committed to driving systemic change.

Authors

• Linda K. Mayger, The College of New Jersey

• Kathleen Provinzano, Drexel University