"The author does all the right things: stays on task, stays focused, communicates clearly, gives correct and adequate information that practitioners can understand and implement, and presents the content in a scholarly, yet friendly style that promotes collaborative efforts." —Marie Kraska, Professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology Auburn University "Clear, concise, understandable information presented in a positive, upbeat, and respectful manner. I couldn′t wait to share this with other team members!" —Debbie Johnson, Principal Lunt School, Falmouth, ME Make informed decisions about programs with this step-by-step evaluation process! School leaders can strengthen curriculum and help students experience greater achievement when they have an efficient process for evaluating the effectiveness of school programs. This reader-friendly resource presents a substantive overview of key concepts of the program evaluation process and offers practical guidelines to help administrators and faculty plan and carry out thoughtful evaluations. Designed for new and experienced site-based administrators, this comprehensive second edition provides a wealth of updated information and tools for implementing evaluations, including: An expanded section on needs assessment, complete with new examples Additional methods to analyze data more productively Strategies for using graphs to communicate program results An in-depth discussion of the principal′s role in the evaluation process A built-in facilitator′s guide and checklist A successful, ongoing evaluation process can promote a collaborative culture among faculty, improve teachers′ sense of accomplishment, and strengthen your school′s ability to meet the expectations of students and parents.

This updated edition on evaluating the effectiveness of school programs provides an expanded needs-assessment section, additional methods for data analysis, and tools for communicating program results.

Discusses planning and performing staff evaluations and evaluating staff development programs in order to improve staff training and overall student achievement.

This updated edition on evaluating the effectiveness of school programs provides an expanded needs-assessment section, additional methods for data analysis, and tools for communicating program results.

The District of Columbia (DC) has struggled for decades to improve its public education system. In 2007 the DC government made a bold change in the way it governs public education with the goal of shaking up the system and bringing new energy to efforts to improve outcomes for students. The Public Education Reform Amendment Act (PERAA) shifted control of the city's public schools from an elected school board to the mayor, developed a new state department of education, created the position of chancellor, and made other significant management changes. A Plan for Evaluating the District of Columbia's Public Schools offers a framework for evaluating the effects of PERAA on DC's public schools. The book recommends an evaluation program that includes a systematic yearly public reporting of key data as well as in-depth studies of high-priority issues including: quality of teachers, principals, and other personnel; quality of classroom teaching and learning; capacity to serve vulnerable children and youth; promotion of family and community engagement; and quality and equity of operations, management, and facilities. As part of the evaluation program, the Mayor's Office should produce an annual report to the city on the status of the public schools, including an analysis of trends and all the underlying data. A Plan for Evaluating the District of Columbia's Public Schools suggests that D.C. engage local universities, philanthropic organizations, and other institutions to develop and sustain an infrastructure for ongoing research and evaluation of its public schools. Any effective evaluation program must be independent of school and city leaders and responsive to the needs of all stakeholders. Additionally, its research should meet the highest standards for technical quality.

In Linking Teacher Evaluation and Student Learning, researchers Pamela D. Tucker and James H. Stronge show that including measures of student achievement in teacher evaluations can help schools focus their efforts to meet higher standards. You'll see how four school systems have built such measures into their evaluation programs in these distinct ways: * Documenting how desired learning outcomes translated into actual student learning * Tracking progress on key content standards * Setting annual quantifiable goals for students' academic progress * Analyzing changes in students' achievement test scores The authors explore the strengths of each approach, offer insights from teachers and administrators, and describe practical ways to incorporate similar measures of student learning into your own evaluation program. Detailed appendixes provide hands-on tools and resources to help you adapt these approaches to your school's particular needs. For any school that is working to meet higher standards, linking teacher evaluation to measures of student learning is a powerful way to refocus professional development and improve student achievement.

This book discusses four approaches to incorporating student achievement in teacher evaluation. Seven chapters discuss: (1) "Teacher Evaluation and Student Achievement: An Introduction to the Issues"; (2) "What is the Relationship between Teaching and Learning?" (e.g., whether teachers are responsible for student learning and how to measure student learning); (3) "Assessing Teacher Performance through Comparative Student Growth: The Dallas Value-Added Accountability System"; (4) "Assessing Teacher Performance through Repeated Measures of Student Gains: The Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System"; (5) "Assessing Teacher Performance with Student Work: The Oregon Teacher Work Sample Methodology"; (6) "Assessing Teacher Performance in a Standards-Based Environment: The Thompson, Colorado, School District"; and (7) Teacher Evaluation and Student Achievement: What are the Lessons Learned and Where Do We Go from Here?" (e.g., basic requirements of fair testing programs that are to be used to inform teacher evaluation). Chapters 3-6 include information on the purposes of the accountability system and how it was developed; student assessment strategies; how the accountability system works; how the accountability system relates to teacher evaluation; the advantages and disadvantages of the accountability system for teacher evaluation; and results of implementation. (Contains 66 references.) (SM)