TEACHER+SUPERVISION+RESOURCES

====__TEACHER SUPERVISION RESOURCES__ The resources contained on this page are intended to provide background knowledge for those EA 746 students developing a supervision-related Leadership Action Plan for possible implementation in their school as a part of their Ed.S. internship.====


 * Special Note: There are a couple wiki pages listed at the left that focus on interesting aspects of teacher supervision. See Adam Reed's page and Rhena Holmes' page.**

3/30/10 **Must Read!** [|Diane Ravitch], in the latest Bridging Differences blog, discusses with passion "the assault on public education" as evidenced by passage of Florida legislation adopting a new teacher evaluation system tied directly to student test scores. Ravitch, you'll recall is a leading educational historian. The issue of how and to what degree student test scores will impact public education is one of the most important issues of today. As leaders, we need to be knowledgeable. 4/6/10 And, in this [|open letter to Florida legislators,] Ravitch states her case against using test scores as the basis for judging teacher effectiveness 4/7/10 But, [|Chester Finn], on the other hand, applauds the Florida legislature for taking bold action to reform public education. Finn, like Ravitch is an important voice in educational policy making. He is with the Thomas Fordham Institute & Hoover Institute think tanks and, like Ravitch, a former Under Secretary of Education in the George H.W. Bush administration. To learn more about Finn, check his [|website]. BC

__Marzano & Dufour team up to present their beliefs about [|high-leverage supervision] techniques for principals in a 2009 Education Leadership article.

Thomas Toch writes in the Oct. 2008, issue of Education Leadership about "fixing" [|teacher evaluation].

Former principal, [|Kim Marshall], has written often about teacher supervision and has a brand new book, "Rethinking Teacher Supervision and Evaluation". His 2005 article in the Kappan presents some of his beliefs based on both his field experiences and research. In the first half of this piece he discusses the shortcomings of the current model of supervision used in most districts. The second half presents his recommended model. This is a very good article.

T[|he Widget Effect] is a very interesting report on teacher evaluation. It asks the question."If we value teachers, why do we treat them like widgets?" This report raises important questions about our current attitudes and practices, as well as offering ideas for improvement.

In EDL 2/01, C[|harlotte Danielson], creator of the widely-used Framework for Teaching, wrote about the latest trends in teacher evaluation. This is an excellent article.

[|Walk Throughs] have been a popular approach for teacher supervision in recent years. But....what does the research have to say?

[|The Center for Teaching Quality] brought together 18 National Board Certified teachers from around the country and asked them to develop a "performance pay" plan. (Since "performance pay" is a "front burner" issue, you should take time to look at this plan developed by teacher leaders.) Closer to home, the [|Mackinaw Center] for Public Policy has published its ideas regarding the use of value-added measurements of student growth as part of teacher quality assessment. Note that at the top right of this linked article there is access to another Mackinaw paper on a Merit Pay Pilot Program for Michigan. Also, at the very bottom of this linked article there is access to another paper on Principal Evaluation, and to a PDF of Mackinaw's Primer on Teacher Quality.

The [|Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession] has been putting together resources on teacher evaluation. The collection includes information specific to Washington State as well as information of national scope. This is a collection of resources worth perusing.

[|Education Sector], an important Washington think tank, published an extensive study of teacher evaluation in Jan. 2008. I draw your attention in particular to the recommendations on pp. 19 & 20.

[|The Center for American Progress], a very influential Washington think tank, published an important, June 2009, report on teacher evaluation with the catchy name, "So Long, Lake Wobegone?". I draw your attention to the Executive Summary on pp. 1 & 2 and the recommendations pp.19 - 21.

Per the request of MC cohort, here are the books on teacher supervision that I was showing everyone in class recently: //Effective Teacher Evaluation, A Guide for Principals by K. Peterson (2006) Corwin Press (I provided a written summary of this book.) Enhancing Professional Practice, A Framework for Teaching 2nd ed.by C. Danielson (2007) ASCD (Her model is the basis for improvements being attempted by many districts. Also see the book listed below by Danielson & McGreal.) Dealilng With Difficult Teachers, 2nd ed., by T. Whitaker (2002) Eye on Education (He is a former principal and popular presenter.) The Skillful Leader, Confronting Mediocre Teaching by A. Platt et.al. (2000) Read About Press (Comprehensive, practice-oriented presentation.) Here are a few additional, teacher supervision resources: ////Teacher Evaluation to Enhance professional Practice// by C. Danielson & T. McGreal (2000) ASCD //Evaluating Teaching, A Guide to Current Thinking & Best Practice,2nd ed.// edited by J. Stronge (2006) Corwin Press (Contains good articles by many leaders in the field of teacher supervision & evaluation.) //Leadership for Learning, How to Help Teachers Succeed// by C. Glickman (2002) ASCD //( Presents a clear overview of his classic model of "differentiated supervision".)

Will teacher compensation plans, that have traditionally been based solely on college degrees and service time, be updated // to include additional factors including student achievement? The Obama Administration has $600 million in grant money available to states that wish to submit plans for [|performance pay plans]. This March article in Ed Week outlines the criteria the states must met.

"[|The Myth of Merit Pay] " is a recent Ed Week Commentary written by an experienced superintendent. He makes some interesting observations. Note the Ed Week Spotlight on Performance Pay that is accessible on the page in the black & brown insert box. It will provide links to several recent news articles on this topic.__

(Timing is everything!) The 3/15/10 issue of Newsweek has on its cover "The Key To Saving American Education, [|We Must Fire Bad Teachers] ." You should probably read Newsweek's cover story first and then Futernick's paper. After reading both articles, please share your thoughts using the Discussion tab at the top of this page and the post titled, "My Reactions". Before posting your opinion, take a few minutes to read those of others. Try to return to postings once or twice over the next few weeks to read and react to other postings. I look forward to this exchange of ideas. And, [|Teacher Magazine] (3/11), an Ed Week publication, has initiated a national discussion in response to the Newsweek article. Check out the responses to compare with yours. Teacher Magazine, by the way, is another good resource for ed leaders. Check out the [|TM web site]. And, Diane Ravitch in her [|Bridging Differences] blog has an excellent critique of the Newsweek cover story.
 * REQUIRED READING** __This Jan. 2010 paper by Ken Futernick, "[|Incompetent Teachers or Dysfunctional Systems] ?" presents an excellent overview of the current belief that all it takes to "fix" public education is to get rid of incompetent teachers.

In response to the Newsweek cover article, "We Must Fire Bad Teachers", comic & social critic, Bill Maher, ranted that we should "Fire All The Bad Parents". This article from [|The Daily Beast] links to that rant but also presents a written response from singer/song writer and public education activist, John Legend. You can watch Maher (You Tube) and then read Legend to decide where you stand.

Colorado may be a state worth watching for its efforts to improve teacher evaluation. This article from the [|Denver Post] will provide an overview and introduction.

The Center for American Progress has a couple recent (3/10) publications that address teacher effectiveness and evaluation. As ed leaders we should be aware of this organization as a resource and be familiar with its work in this area. [|Supporting Effective Teaching Through Teacher Evaluation] <span class="blurb" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; vertical-align: baseline;">A study of teacher evaluation in five charter schools from Morgaen L. Donaldson with Heather G. Peske. <span class="author" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #666666; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> [|Removing Chronically Ineffective Teachers] <span class="blurb" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 3px; vertical-align: baseline;">Report from Robin Chait explores the reasons that teacher dismissal is rarely pursued and opportunities for change. The Rubber Room, ever hear of it? First there was a [|national magazine article] that introduced many people to New York Public Schools "rubber Room", and [|soon there will be a documentary movie]. Some blame the teachers or their union (see cartoon below) while others blame the superintendent and school board. There would seem to be plenty of room for blame. What's your opinion of the "rubber room"?

 //One school principal has said that Randi Weingarten, of the teachers’ union,“would protect a dead body in the classroom.”// [|Kenneth Peterson] , whose book was cited above, has a web site that is a useful resource for teacher evaluation.  One of the more difficult areas of student supervision is enforcing the dress code.__ Often, the problem starts with an inadequate written policy. Fairfax Co. VA has what appears to be a pretty good policy and they review it annually with a committee to make adjustments since student attire is a "moving target". See what you think and compare it to your written policy. “All students are expected to dress appropriately for a K-12 educational environment. Any clothing that interferes with or disrupts the educational environment is unacceptable. Clothing with language or images that are vulgar, discriminatory, or obscene or clothing that promotes illegal or violent conduct, such as the unlawful use of weapons, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or drug paraphernalia, or clothing that contains threats such as gang symbols is prohibited. (See page X, for additional information regarding gang-related clothing.) Clothing should fit, be neat and clean, and conform to standards of safety, good taste, and decency. Clothing that exposes cleavage, private parts, the midriff, or undergarments, or that is otherwise sexually provocative, is prohibited. Examples of prohibited clothing include, but are not limited to: sagging or low-cut pants, low-cut necklines that show cleavage, tube tops, halter tops, backless blouses or blouses with only ties in the back, clothing constructed of see-through materials, and head coverings unless required for religious or medical purposes.__

4/5/10 This Ed Week article reports on the various states' efforts to [|revise teacher tenure] laws. Florida has abolished tenure while other states have increased the length of time it takes to achieve tenure to as much as seven years. Some of these changes have had teacher union support because they are contained in legislation with other provisions supported by the unions.

April 6, 2010 | Posted At: 02:32 PM | Author: Alexander Russo | Category: [|NCLB News]

**Cartoon: Firing Teachers Over Kids' Low Scores**
From Slate's [|daily cartoons].

4/8/10 Ed Week article discusses value-added methods of [|teacher evaluation] to include student achievement. Writer cautions that both student achievement measures and teacher practice measures need to improve.

4/9/10 [|Chicago Tribune] article reports on new teacher evaluation tool being piloted in 100 schools. It sounds like Charlotte Danielson's framework is the basis for this "new" approach. This is the link to the [|Excellence in Teaching] web site.

4/12/10 This link will allow you to register for the [|free ASCD webinar] with Charlotte Danileson 4/14. 3 - 4 pm. Her topic of course is teacher effectiveness & teacher evaluation.

[|The Center for Teaching Quality] Director, Barnett Berry wrote Teacher Effectiveness: The Conditions That Matter Most and a Look To the Future, March 2010.