Threading the Evaluation Needle

Todd A. DeMitchell, John & H. Irene Peters Professor of Education, served as a teacher and administrator in the public schools for 18 years. During his 30 years at the University of New Hampshire he has studied, taught, and consulted on school law and labor relations including the implementation of documentation systems.Mark A Paige, Associate Professor of Public Policy, has numerous positions in education, ranging from the classroom to the courtroom. He began his career in education as an elementary school teacher. He later served as an education law attorney, representing school districts in New England on labor relations, employment law, special education, and other matters. He now teaches school law, school finance, and education policy at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.

• Preface: Who Shall Teach Our Children?Chapter 1: Evaluation and the Documentation ChallengeChapter 2: The Evaluation of TeachersChapter 3: The Principal as EvaluatorChapter 4: Legal Frameworks: Infusing the Evaluation with FairnessChapter 5: The Five Fatal “Eyes” of Unprofessional ConductChapter 6: Files, Memos, and DocumentationChapter 7: Conclusion and the Ten Commandments of DocumentationAppendix A - InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for TeachersAppendix B – Personnel Evaluation StandardsAppendix C – Examples of Causes and Evidence for Dismissal/DisciplineAppendix D – The Bologna Sandwich TechniqueAppendix E – Negligent Hiring: Did We Hire the Wrong Person?Appendix F: Table of CasesAbout the Authors

This book would make an excellent gift for an aspiring superintendent or someone who has landed in her or his first superintendency. "Threading the Evaluation Needle" emphasizes the principle that supervision of school staff requires the school leader to prioritize instructional supervision while ensuring accountability processes used by the school leader are led with integrity.