Teaching/Teacher Quality | Teacher Leaders Network

Bringing Schools Back to Life: Schools as Living Systems

Resource Keywords:
Teaching/Teacher Quality

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Margaret J. Wheatley

Year of Publication:

1999

URL:

http://www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/lifetoschools.html

Abstract:

Got time for an "Aha" moment, as the school year draws to an end? Read Margaret Wheatley's reflections on schools as living systems. She writes: "I've learned that we can't design anything that works if we don't have the whole system involved in its creation. I know from experience that most people are very smart -- they have figured out how to make things work when it seemed impossible, they have invented ways to get around roadblocks and dumb policies, they have created their own networks to support them and help them learn. But rarely is this visible to the organization until and unless people are brought into problem-solving and organizational change processes and invited to contribute what they know. The complexity and density of systems require that we engage the whole system just so we can harvest the invisible intelligence that exists throughout the organization."

Wheatley, M.J. (1999). Bringing schools back to life: Schools as living systems. [Excerpted from Creating Successful School Systems: Voices from the university, the field, and the community. Christopher-Gordon Publishers, September 1999]. Retrieved from Margartet J. Wheatley's website 13 May 2008. http://www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/lifetoschools.html

Teaching Quality Is a Moral Imperative

Resource Keywords:
Teaching/Teacher Quality

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Betsy Rogers

Year of Publication:

2005

URL:

http://tln.typepad.com/tln_betsyrogers/2005/11/teaching_qualit.html

Abstract:

"My constant inner battle as a curriculum specialist at Brighton School is how to balance what is best for children and at the same time nurture needy teachers," writes Betsy Rogers, a former national teacher of the year who now works in one of Alabama's most challenged schools. "How do you work in a situation where the teacher needs are often greater than the needs of the students?" In this recent blog entry, Rogers describes the dilemma school leaders face when they have tenured faculty members "who will not try" to improve. "As a professional educator...I believe we also have a moral imperative to our profession to insuring the quality of teaching. This is the bottom line issue in my school -- teaching quality."

Rogers, B. (2005). Teaching quality is a moral imperative. Brighton's Hope (Nov. 30 2005). Blog retrieved 9 May 2008. http://tln.typepad.com/tln_betsyrogers/2005/11/teaching_qualit.html

Waiting to Be Won Over: Teachers Speak on the Profession, Unions, and Reform

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Ann Duffett; Steve Farkas; Andrew J. Rotherham; Elena Silva

Year of Publication:

2008

URL:

http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/WaitingToBeWonOver.pdf

Abstract:

As Barnett Berry explains in his blog, Building the Teaching Profession, this report from Education Sector "highlights issues related to weak teacher evaluation models, as well as unyielding tenure and compensation systems. It surfaces teacher beliefs regarding reforms designed to improve teaching, proposals for differential pay, and the role of unions. Interestingly, the report also reveals key points of distinction and divergence among new teachers and veterans."

Duffett, A.; Farkas, S.; Rotherham, A.J.; & Silva, E. (2008). Waiting to be won over: Teachers speak on the profession, unions, and reform. Education Sector. Retrieved from Education Sector 8 May 2008. http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/WaitingToBeWonOver.pdf

Better Teachers, Better Schools: Ensuring a High-Quality Education for Every Child

Resource Keywords:
Teaching/Teacher Quality

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Various

Year of Publication:

2005

Abstract:

From the Center for American Progress:

As a new presidential term and a new Congress begin, the Center for American Progress has launched the Progressive Priorities Project to provide policymakers and the public a positive vision for progressive policymaking supported by a series of new and bold policy ideas in priority areas identified by American Progress. Ensuring a High-Quality Education by Building a Stronger Teaching Force is the second of approximately a dozen papers in the series that American Progress will issue over the course of the next two months. In addition to providing broad policy recommendations, each of the papers in the series proposes specific steps that policymakers can take to achieve the broader policy goals. All of the papers in the series will be compiled and published as a book in early 2005.

Center for American Progress (2005). Better Teachers, better schools: Ensuring a high-quality education for every child. Progressive priorities: An action agenda for America (pp.47-66). [PDF]

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Can Teacher Quality Be Effectively Assessed?

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Dan Goldhaber; Emily Anthony

Year of Publication:

2004

Abstract:

In this paper, we describe the results of the first large-scale study, based on a unique data set from North Carolina, assessing the relationship between the certification of teachers by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and elementary- level student achievement. Our findings indicate that NBPTS is successfully identifying the more effective teachers among applicants, and that NBPTS-certified teachers, prior to becoming certified, were more effective than their non-certified counterparts at increasing student achievement. The statistical significance and magnitude of the “NBPTS effect,” however, differs significantly by grade level and student type.

Goldhaber, D. & Anthony, E. (2004). Can teacher quality be effectively assessed? The Urban Institute (March 8 2004).

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Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Charlotte Danielson

Year of Publication:

1996

URL:

http://www.umatilla.k12.or.us/NCLB/Char_Danielson.htm

Abstract:

Danielson's Framework for Teaching extends from her experience with ETS helping prepare and evaluate material for their PRAXIS III exam, and other materials, like National Board, to shape the materials into a framework for all teachers. Danielson says of her work with PRAXIS III preparation groups, "It gave them a structured opportunity to discuss teaching with colleagues in a concrete and research-based setting."

Danielson, C. Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching. Retrieved from the Umatilla School District 5 May 2008. http://www.umatilla.k12.or.us/NCLB/Char_Danielson.htm

Improving Teacher Evaluation to Improve Teaching Quality

Resource Keywords:
Teaching/Teacher Quality

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Liam Goldrick

Year of Publication:

2002

Abstract:

This 2002 policy recommendation from the National Governor's Association focuses on strategies: define teaching quality; focus evaluation policy on improving teaching practice; incorporate student learning into teacher evaluation, etc.

Goldrick, L. (2002). Improving teacher evaluation to improve teaching quality. NGA center for best practices issue brief (Dec. 9 2002).

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A Union of Insufficiencies: Strategies for Teacher Assessment in a Period of Educational Reform

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Lee Schulman

Year of Publication:

1988

Abstract:

"A combination of methods--portfolios, direct observation, assessment centers, and better tests--can compensate for one another's short comings as well as reflect the richness and complexity of teaching," says Schulman.

Schulman, L.S. (1988). A union of insufficiencies: Strategies for teacher assessment in a period of educational reform. Educational leadership (Nov. 1988). [PDF File]

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Empowering a Profession: Rethinking the Roles of Administrative Evaluation and Instructional Supervision in Improving Teacher Quality

Resource Keywords:
Teaching/Teacher Quality

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Edward Pajak; Angelique Arrington

Year of Publication:

2004

URL:

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1744-7984.2004.tb0003...

Abstract:

Edward Pajak is a Professor currently serving as Interim Director of the Graduate Division of Education at Johns Hopkins University. Recent publications include "Loosely coupled organizations, misrecognition, and social reproduction" in the International Journal of Leadership in Education and Honoring Diverse Teaching Styles: A Guide for Supervisors. ²Angelique Arrington is a Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Preparation at Johns Hopkins University. Read the full report online.

EDWARD PAJAK, ANGELIQUE ARRINGTON (2004) Empowering a Profession: Rethinking the Roles of Administrative Evaluation and Instructional Supervision in Improving Teacher Quality Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education 103 (1) , 228–252 doi:10.1111/j.1744-7984.2004.tb00035. Retrieved from Blackwell Synergy 2 May 2008. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1744-7984.2004.tb0003...

New Trends in Teacher Evaluation

Publication Type:

Web Article

Authors:

Charlotte Danielson

Year of Publication:

2001

URL:

http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.459dee00...

Abstract:

"By differentiating evaluation at several career stages and by requiring an active role for those being evaluated, new appraisal systems go beyond judging teacher quality to fostering it," note Danielson in summarizing this Educational Leadership article.

Danielson, C. (2001). New trends in teacher evaluation. Educational leadership (Feb. 2001, Vol. 58 No. 5). Retrieved from ASCD 2 May 2008. http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.459dee00...