Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Teacher Evaluation

Morgaen L. Donaldson is Professor of Educational Leadership and Director of the Center for Education Policy Analysis, Research, and Evaluation at the University of Connecticut, USA.

• Chapter 1--Introduction SECTION 1—DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHER EVALUATIONChapter 2—Teacher Evaluation Through the Lens of PsychologyChapter 3—Teacher Evaluation Through the Lens of EconomicsChapter 4— Teacher Evaluation Through the Lens of Sociology SECTION 2—THE CONSEQUENCES OF TEACHER EVALUATIONChapter 5--Teacher Evaluation as an Accountability MechanismChapter 6--Teacher Evaluation as a Developmental Enterprise Chapter 7—The Potential and Actual Downsides of Teacher Evaluation ReformChapter 8--Conclusion

"Policymakers have long touted teacher evaluation as a powerful remedy for the ills of public schools. In her illuminating new book, Morgaen Donaldson provides a comprehensive, clear-eyed assessment of such expectations. Drawing on concepts from psychology, economics, and sociology, Donaldson situates evaluation in the larger context of school improvement and then examines its record for appraising and developing teachers’ practice. This book is essential reading for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars who want to understand teacher evaluation’s potential and pitfalls." --Susan Moore Johnson, Jerome T. Murphy Research Professor and Director of Project on the Next Generation of Teachers, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University"This book does a superb job of illuminating the challenges and opportunities created by teacher evaluation. It brilliantly combines the breadth and depth of insight that comes from applying a wide range of social science theories with the practical understanding of a former teacher and school founder. Before you make any changes to your teacher evaluation policies, read this book." --William A. Firestone, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey"Donaldson has done what few of us can could pull off—a book that leverages theory to clear the brush, uses research to address the empirical questions (including what were the unintended consequences), and lays out concrete implications to inform policy and practice moving forward. I only wish she had been able to write this book before the educational elites became dogmatically convinced teacher evaluation was the next great policy idea in public education. The sophistication and subtlety of this book would have deepened the debate, shaped the policy parameters, and made us all the better for it. Perhaps there is still time." -- Richard Lemons, Executive Director, CT Center for School Change and Instructor, Yale Educational Studies Program