The Obama administration’s Race to the Top competitive grant program triggered an unprecedented wave of state teacher evaluation reform across the country. Most of the scholarly analysis of this activity to date has focused on the design of the evaluation instruments, or the implementation of the new evaluations by districts and schools. However, little research has explored how states are managing and supporting the implementation of these reforms. As US Education Secretary Arne Duncan has remarked: “because teacher evaluation systems are still a work in progress, it is vital that school leaders and administrators continue to solicit feedback, learn from their mistakes, and make improvements.” It has become increasingly clear that the role of state education agencies will be critical as school districts enter what (for most) will be uncharted territory.
Please join the Center for American Progress for a discussion about the capacities required and the ways state education agencies support districts in this difficult work centering around the release of Patrick McGuinn’s report: “The State of Evaluation: State Education Agencies and the Implementation of New Teacher Evaluation Systems.” States profiled in the report include Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Tennessee.
Featured Speakers:
Patrick McGuinn, Associate Professor of Political Science, Drew University
John Luczak, Principal, Education First
Mary Ann Snider, Chief of Educator Excellence and Instructional Effectiveness, Rhode Island Department of Education
Carolyn Williams, Assistant, Educational Services and Project Coordinator, New York State United Teachers (NYSUT)
Moderated by:
Cynthia G. Brown, Vice President, Education Policy, Center for American Progress