Effective Evaluation Systems Improve Teacher Development and Student Achievement, Witnesses Tell Education Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Teacher evaluation systems should provide regular, productive feedback in order to help teachers improve and ensure struggling students are taught by highly effective teachers, education experts and educators themselves told a House education subcommittee today.
“Teacher evaluations have multiple effects on our education system, and there are a variety of opinions on the topic. If there is one certainty however, it is that a one-dimensional approach to evaluation is not effective. I will continue to listen to experts and stakeholders to make sure that Congress helps facilitate evaluation structures that are beneficial for everyone involved,” said Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, the senior Democrat on the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
Studies show that teachers are the most important factor in determining the success of students. However, current evaluation systems are often conducted irregularly through quick observations and do not support teachers and school leaders in their professional development. Witnesses testified that rigorous evaluations and professional development go hand in hand.
“Setting a high bar for excellence is critical to good professional development, because we can’t help teachers reach their full potential unless we are honest about what they need to improve, and provide examples of what excellence looks like,” said Dr. Rodney E. Watson, the chief human resources officer for the Houston Independent School District.
Teacher evaluation systems is one component of rewriting the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Despite calls to rewrite the nation’s education law in a bipartisan manner, last Congress House Republicans put forth highly partisan pieces of legislation that would turn the clock back decades on equity and accountability in American public education. Successfully enacting a rewrite of ESEA, however, will require genuine bipartisan negotiations.
Research has shown that inequitable distribution of teacher talent widens the achievement gap and hurts the economy. Under No Child Left Behind, states are required to have plans to ensure that effective teachers are distributed equally, but it has rarely been enforced. In place of a full comprehensive rewrite of the federal education law, the Obama administration has taken important steps to encourage teacher equity through the “Race to the Top” fund and has clarified that states should enforce the provision through the Department of Education’s waiver process.
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