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Kara Blackburn

Mrs. Burr- Instructure

Research Paper

7 April 2019

Teacher Evaluations Killing or Raising Success in Schools?

Teacher Evaluations

Have you ever wondered why education in the United States ranks twenty seventh in the

world when in 1990, we were ranked sixth (Bendrix)? Where does this alarming decline of

status in the United States originate from? Many would argue the curriculum in standard

schools has been the downfall, becoming too easy when test scores, reading levels, and personal

development in classrooms should be increasing at a more rapid rate. New testing strategies,

literature and science programs have evolved, making students have a broader scope of their

comprehension development in the United States. Reading and lexile scores have slowly

elevated but with only so many programs that can be created for all general, standard public

schools, people are looking to teachers and the administration, however few national services

have been given to those individuals who have taken our students personal and academic

advancement in their hands. Semi-annual conferences, and state interaction recommendations

have been implemented to help teachers, only leaving teacher evaluations, which occur

occasionally once a semester, a large amount of teachers performance based solely on these

reports. Many people argue that teacher evaluations are not helpful, they create disruptions

between student and teacher relationships, and tends to become a process that is not beneficial to

the classroom yet understanding that all systems, including the evaluation system will forever
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carry imperfections, yet not all aspects of the system results ineffective, due to teacher

evaluations becoming a primary reason teachers understand what is expected of them, creates

opportunity for communication between teachers, administration and students, and lastly, gives a

glimpse of what teachers need assistance for, whereas without teacher evaluations, classrooms

would become distant and never reach progression.

There are different types of teacher evaluations, and they include the following:

administrative, student, and parental. Administrative evaluations are when principals, vice

principals and in seldom cases, other district representatives with authority, enter in a classroom

and observe. Many times the facilitator of the evaluation (the principal or vice principal) sits in

the back of the room with a clipboard and pencil, paying close attention to the way the classroom

is being handled by the teacher. They listen intently to the lesson and record notes, monitoring

the teachers performance and the interaction between his or her students who may or may not be

participating in the class. Notes will be taken for the manner in which way the teacher handles

the classroom, including disruptive students, the approach taken when leading a class discussion,

and the professional yet genuine way the teacher executes his or herself to each one of the

students. Michael Mulgrew from ​New York Amsterdam News​ states “The truth is that teachers

look forward to the opportunity to improve their practice.” Even though some teachers may

complain that having administrators come into their classroom is stressful, the “process to help

teachers improve their performance by providing them with feedback on the specific classroom

issues that need to be addressed” is evidently, the exact reason for these live evaluations and

seems to be the easiest, most effective way for administrators to experience class just as the

teacher and students experience class on a normal school day.

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Student and parent/guardian evaluations have been also found valuable ways in observing

a teachers performance from a more personal and primary way. This is where teachers are

evaluated by their own students and their parents. Having these evaluations creates personal

connections and relationships between teacher, student and parents and often are beneficial

throughout the class and after the course is over. However, this creates opportunity for kids and

parents to act unfair to teachers when disagreements, bad grades and other altercations become a

bigger problem, and occasionally put the teachers job on the line. Joni Blackburn, who has

taught over twenty seven years as a home education teacher at Wayne High School, received a

comment regarding the last anonymous parent survey. The comment being so harsh, caused her

almost to forget her almost retirement plan and quit teaching all together. After talking with the

principal, she felt reassured but thought was inappropriate for a parent to comment something so

rude when every day, she teaches the teenager to become a better student and individual. Not

disregarding situations similar to Mrs. Blackburn's, parents are not in the classroom with their

student and do not always receive the full story or truth about the real situation but not all student

or parent surveys produce negative reflections and create problems for teachers. For instance,

Kelsey Hill, a first year teacher at Mt. Ogden Jr. High explains that she wanting more personal,

real input on her teaching methods, gave a google survey to each one of her students. Not

receiving bashing or negative comments, the most common suggestion was that her students felt

she could academically push them harder than what she currently was doing. This was, in the

eyes of any teacher, an outstanding result to that survey the students had filled. All three forms

of evaluations seem to be effective and helpful and help show teachers and administrators what

can be worked upon for future teaching. Feedback that may not necessarily be positive can still
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assist teachers learn in what areas they need to improve in. Todd Quarnberg, a principal at

Herriman High School discusses his process of talking with teachers who have been complained

upon, and his real, genuine conversation that follows. Having the students in best interest but

always hearing the teacher as well, collaboration between students, teachers and administrators

create the best feedback for classrooms to function and progress properly. It is impossible to

have a chair, missing a leg, to stand on its own, just as a teacher cannot improve to their full

potential without understanding where they lack (Tuma).

Principals and district representatives are in charge of finding the best solutions for

individual schools and teachers (Bradley). Teacher evaluations should not be a burden, but

striving for difference in perspective, they can become a healthy, less stressful and negative

process for teachers to receive feedback in their teaching and lesson planning. Principal

Quarnberg also mentions his wish to see teachers throughout the school, to come together and

lend a hand. Being a teacher for one of the largest high schools in the state of Utah, Mrs. Burr

claims how constructive observing other teachers would profit individual styles and lesson

planning.

Perhaps, teacher evaluations are not always a survey, but noticing what connections

students make with teachers, and teachers make with one another. From ​Education Week,

Stephen Sawchuk says “In general, teacher evaluation refers to the formal process a school uses

to review and rate teachers’ performance and effectiveness in the classroom.” Not all helpful

feedback comes from a machine or a file, but real, human interaction. Education is not an easy

career, and teachers are frequently told they need to fix parts of their teaching methods. The

problem appears when teachers get stuck in their personal, professional development. Changing
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teacher evaluations to be more interactive and positive will become more beneficial to those

teaching the future generation (Stecher).

Not all problems can be solved, but teachers being informed that

evaluations are not a ticket but a lending hand, improvement, feedback

and confident teachers in the classroom are how students will react

brighter and more committed to learning tomorrow. When teachers

feel secure, so will the students and success in the classroom will

increase (Sawyer). Teacher evaluations are not a hoop to jump

through and has much greater purpose (Caposey). Showing the

positive emphasis on teacher evaluations, grasping the input students

and occasionally parents give and the help other teachers can give to

one another, students will be more prepared, comfortable to be

themselves and confident in their capabilities simply because their

teacher, was also being assisted in their learning of teaching the young generation. Many may

argue that teacher evaluations only create stress and opportunity for disagreement, but they

provide access for teachers to become the student, and to be taught how they can become better

tomorrow, just teachers tell it to their students. (Fig 1).

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Works Cited
Bendrix, Aria. “The US was once a leader for healthcare and education- now it ranks 27th in the

world.” ​Business Insider. ​27 Sept. 2018. Web. 10 April 2019.

Blackburn, Joni. Email Interview. 7 April 2019.

Bradley, Ann. “Dallas to Pilot-Test Teacher-Evaluation System.” ​Education Week​, vol. 14, no.

33, May 1995, Web. 10 April 2019.

Burr, Jackie. Personal Interview. 10 April 2019.

Caposey, PJ. “ 4 Reasons Why Teacher Evaluation Must Change”. ​Corwin Connect.​ 24 Aug.

2017. Web. 11 April 2019.

Hill, Kelsey. Email Interview. 11 April 2019.

MULGREW, MICHAEL. “Teachers Need a Real Evaluation System.” ​New York Amsterdam

News,​ vol. 103, no. 1, 5 Jan. 2012, p. 12.

Quarnberg, Todd. Personal Interview. 11 April 2019.

SAWCHUK, STEPHEN. “Teacher Evaluation: An Issue Overview”. ​Education Week.​ 3, Sept.

2015. Web. 10 April 2019. Web. 10 April 2019.

Sawyer, Lynn. “Revamping a Teacher Evaluation System.” ​Educational Leadership,​ vol. 58, no.

5, Feb. 2001, p. 44 4 April 2019

Stecher, Brian, et al. “Implementing Measures of Teacher Effectiveness.” ​Phi Delta Kappan,​ vol.

94, no. 3, Nov. 2012, pp. 39–43.

Tuma, Andrea Prado, et al. “Teacher Perceptions of Feedback and Evaluation Systems.”

Education Digest,​ vol. 84, no. 7, Mar. 2019, pp. 27–32.