Thesis (Ph.D. (Curriculum Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / The purpose of the study was to explain how teacher evaluation is implemented in sampled schools of two districts; Mogalakwena and Waterberg of the Limpopo Province. The interpretive paradigm was followed to investigate how teachers at the sampled schools implement teacher evaluation, Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS). Within the interpretive paradigm, qualitative approach was followed to gain an in-depth understanding of social realities as well as comprehensive portrait of range of attempts, interactions, situations and perceptions. Data collection was done using interviews, observations and document analysis. Twenty-four participants participated in the study (eight principals; eight School Developmental Teams (SDTs) and eight teachers). Principals provided information on how they support, motivate teachers to implement the evaluation system and manage the implementation process. SDTSs provided information on how they plan, supervise, coordinate, and monitor the implementation process. The eight teachers provided information on how they classify areas that needed development. The study has highlighted how teacher evaluation, IQMS should be implemented and the methods that may be used to measure teacher performance. The findings revealed that schools were not implementing teacher evaluation, IQMS as stipulated in the IQMS manual (2003), and that this might result in teachers experiencing difficulties in implementing the evaluation system and obstruct the attainment of quality teaching

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The No Child Left Behind legislation has served to make educators throughout the country more aware of the need to increase student academic performance on an annual basis. As part of the effort to report on satisfactory performance, the Virginia Department of Education evaluates school organizations based upon the annual student percent pass rate on the Standards of Learning assessment. This evaluation may result in schools being categorized as either low or high performing. The major difference between the two categories is obviously student academic performance, but there may be other differences in the school organizations that would also account for the categorization of schools. This leads to the possibility of other variables that may play a part in the difference between low and high performing schools. Five possible variables that may have such an influence would be the condition of the school building, teacher quality, school enrollment, student attendance and participation in the free and reduced-priced lunch program. These were the five variables that were investigated in this study which sought to ascertain if there is a difference in the teacher quality measure when the school is rated as either high or low performing. If a difference exists, the data may indicate that the quality of the teacher influences the rating of the school. Likewise, data regarding the condition of the building, school enrollment and student attendance rates and participation in the free and reduced-price lunch program may indicate an influence that these variables may have upon the rating of the school performance. All of this could be of importance to local school authorities in making decisions relative to improving student learning. This study found there to be no significant difference between the building conditions, teacher quality, and school enrollment in the high and low performing schools; however, a significant difference did exist between the student attendance rates and in the population of students participating in the free and reduced-price lunch program in the high and low performing schools. / Ph. D.

The education system in the Czech Republic allows sorting pupils according to their abilities in the first and second level of primary school. Teachers are therefore placed to pupils in selective or non-selective classes and groups by headmasters and management of primary schools. This thesis deals with the placing of teachers to classes by headmasters and management in primary schools and aims to determine by what way and according to which criteria teachers are placed to different types of classes. The research in this thesis is supported by studies, which deal with the quality of teacher and differential education since the 60th of the 20th century. The theoretical part of the thesis focuses on the definition of terms related to differential education and studies how teachers and the teaching are viewed. The empirical part describes the research methodology of qualitative research which objective is to discover how the headmasters or management place teachers to classes, in addition what criteria are decisive for them and how they define qualities of the placed teachers. Key words: External differentiation, internal differentiation, quality of teacher, teaching approaches selective primary school, the sorting of students, abilities, Principal, the placing of teachers, selective classes,...

Teaching vacancies are increasing nationally and the task of placing an experienced, subject-certified teacher in the classroom is getting more difficult for school districts. About 23% of all secondary teachers do not have a minor in their main teaching field. This is true for more than 30% of mathematics teachers and the proportion of such teachers is much greater in high-poverty schools and lower-level classes. In schools with the highest minority enrollments, students have less than a 50% chance of getting a science or mathematics teacher who holds a license and a degree in the field which he or she teaches. While placement of probationary teachers may help to relieve the shortages of licensed teachers, school districts should consider the consequences of placing these teachers in the classroom. One solution school districts have looked to is the use of technology. The Integrated Learning System (ILS) is a virtual classroom which may offer a solution for school districts not able to fill teaching vacancies with a fully prepared teacher. The focus of this study was on the impact of the ILS and teachers' mathematics preparation on 8th grade student achievement. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze existing data. The participants included 1223 students in 76 classes taught by 30 teachers. The results indicated that 8th grade student achievement in ILS classes was significantly higher compared to classes not using the ILS. When teachers' preparation in mathematics was added in to the model, the impact of the ILS was reduced. Results from this study suggested that the ILS may be beneficial for MJ-3 students and that the ILS may offer school districts an alternative technique in raising student mathematics achievement, specifically with low-income or minority students. In addition, the ILS may be a practical solution for school districts when dealing with teacher vacancies in mathematics classrooms. In regard to teacher preparation, the results from this study confirm the importance for school districts to hire mathematics teachers with knowledge of mathematics content and pedagogy; support the belief that alternative certification programs should emphasize pedagogy; challenge state licensing boards' option of certifying teachers without documentation of completed subject area courses; and support NCTM's vision of a well-prepared mathematics teacher.

Abstract In this study, the theoretical basis of the management of teacher quality in U.S.A. in recent years was examined from several aspects such as human resource management, accountability, and related studies. Based on these measures, the theoretical structures developed in the process of the management changes of teacher quality since 1990s were studied. Secondly, the background and reasons of the reform were analyzed, and some concrete suggestions and methods were concluded from the various U.S. education reports and bills. Then, from realistic points of view, the policies developed by different states during the process of reforms were also probed into. Then, a questionnaire was developed as a tool for data collection. The populations of the questionnaire survey included teachers, school administrators, the members of parents¡¦ organizations, educational scholars, educational authorities, councilors and the representatives of teacher organizations. There were 1,360 samples, which contain 1,050 valid ones. The valid returned percentage was 77.2%. The data were testified through frequency distribution, percentage, means, standard deviation, one-way ANOVA, then were analyzed and discussed according to the results. Finally, the conclusions and suggestions were proposed as a result. When reflecting on the present conditions of U.S. teacher quality management, this research probed into five aspects: the access of teacher qualifications, selection and employment, payment and working conditions, assessment and dealing with incompetent teachers. The representatives of parents¡¦ organizations, councilors and elementary school teachers had significant correlation with each other in the perceptions of teachers¡¦ quality management problems and the measures. In addition, this study found that there were diversity in some aspects such as getting payment according to teachers¡¦ actual performances, assessing teachers according to their students¡¦ performance in exams, carrying out teacher career ladder program, and having principals observe in class. Most samples were quite unanimous in other aspects, such as raising the selection criteria of teacher education program, evaluating teacher education programs institutions, establishing professional development schools, setting up nationwide professional educational standard committees, implementing beginning teachers mentoring system, every elementary and secondary school posting reports on educational progress, the government posting nationwide teacher quality assessment report, raising teachers¡¦ basic hours of professional development, helping incompetent teachers improve their teaching methods. Finally, this study will propose several suggestions: 1. The measures of the reform should be taken from all aspects. 2. To select teacher education programs, post reports on teacher quality assessment and strengthen the cultivation and assessment system. 3. To establish the way to assess and report unqualified teachers for dismissal in order to raise the teaching quality. 4. Central government will request each elementary and secondary school to propose each report on teaching quality to raise the efficiency. 5. To set up beginning teachers mentoring system to improve teaching quality. 6. To raise teachers¡¦ professional recognition, correct the unreasonable long teaching hours and class distribution. 7.To give teachers various ways to get professional development to access different certificates to strengthen teaching abilities. 8. Teacher organizations will actively provide advices for education reform. 9. Teacher organizations will initiatively cooperate or participate with central government in the designing of the system in raising teacher quality.

Many public school districts around the nation have implemented performance pay programs to provide teachers the opportunity to earn additional pay based on measures of student achievement. These programs aim to improve student achievement and teacher effectiveness. Existing research on performance pay demonstrates no positive impact of such programs on student and teacher outcomes; however, little research assesses the impact of performance pay combined with addition supports and working condition improvements on student achievement and teacher effectiveness. This study empirically examined the impact of teacher performance pay combined with additional human capital improvements on student growth and teacher mobility in one Texas school district. The district implemented the program in only 15 of the district’s 144 schools. Nine schools implemented the full intervention, which included performance pay, teacher supports, and working condition improvements, while six schools partially implemented the program, offering teachers the opportunity to earn performance pay only. Results demonstrate that student growth was significantly, positively related to full program implementation in math and reading; yet, the magnitude of the results was small. Over time, teacher effectiveness increased on campuses that implemented the most comprehensive version of the program. Average teacher turnover rates increased on full program campuses the year before and the year after implementation; yet, the most effective teachers remained on campuses that provided performance pay and improved working conditions. Results suggest that financial incentives combined with additional human capital improvements, rather than financial incentives alone, could lead to small improvements in student achievement and teacher effectiveness in high need, urban public schools. These findings hold implications for policymakers and researchers, providing evidence on how to best design and implement school district human capital initiatives that show promise in improving student and teacher outcomes. / text

Hiring, retaining, and developing quality instructors is arguably one of the most important ways of ensuring a high quality education (Hagedorn, Perrakis & Maxwell, 2006; Sprouse, Ebbers & King, 2008). However, identifying what makes a teacher an expert (i.e., someone who excels at teaching) is difficult. Indeed, Berliner (2005) argued that quality teaching is almost indescribable. Good teaching, he suggested, starts with a combination of skills -- such as modeling, motivating, and mentoring -- and the ability to produce acceptable student performance. Beyond these basic characteristics, he continued, "... a highly qualified individual, always requires keen insight and good judgment" (p. 207). But Berliner saw no way for society to measure this latter aspect of quality teaching. Recent scholarship on expertise, however, is providing new means for understanding what expertise is and how it is acquired (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1993; Ericsson, 2006; Hatano & Inagaki, 1984). This study applies the theory of adaptive expertise to an investigation of the factors that influence the acquisition of teaching expertise among mathematics instructors. The relations among the institutional environment and instructors goal and problem-solving orientations was measured for mathematics instructors who taught Algebra I, Algebra II/Intermediate Algebra or College Algebra during the past two academic years. Algebra instructors in secondary schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions were asked to participate. This study extends the work of Bereiter and Scardamalia (1993) by applying their theory of an expert career to teaching, an area in which much of the public discussion focuses on the need for more excellent performance. Structural Equation Modeling and Cluster Analyses were used to examine the effects of the reward structure of the institution, the extent to which a teacher identifies himself or herself as mastery goal oriented toward teaching and engaged in a conscious process to improve their teaching practice, and a teacher's acquisition of content and pedagogical knowledge, on a teacher's expert performance. Although the institutional reward structure and mastery goal orientation were found to have a positive effect on a teacher's engagement in continuous improvement behaviors, these behaviors were not found to have a significant impact on expert performance. / text

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This multi-site case study examined education policymaking in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and North Carolina in order to discover the ways in which policymakers define teacher quality. Forty policymakers were asked questions about five broad topics -- the political culture in the state, the role of research in policymaking, the policies devised to address the issue of teacher quality, descriptions of a good teacher, and the definition of teacher quality. These policymakers represented four sectors-- state department of education officials, politicians, educators, and business leaders. What emerged were descriptions of the distinct political and educational cultures of each state and the ways in which these differences and the values and beliefs of these policymakers affected the policy problem definition, the choice of policy instruments, and the relationship of research to policy development. The frameworks used to provide assessments of the complexities involved in defining teacher quality include: McDonnell and Fuhrman's (1985) descriptions of the factors that impel policymakers to act; Marshall, Mitchell, and Wirt's (1989) conceptualization of assumptive worlds and the four domains they identified to understand the principles under which policymakers operate; and Murphy and Adams' (1998) depiction of the dynamics of educational reform. The conclusions of this study are: (1) state political culture does affect policymaking and accounts for the differences among states; (2) policymakers do not institute policies based on values alone, but also based on the contexts of their assumptive worlds; (3) the inability to accomplish all aspects of good teaching with current policy instruments, coupled with cultural differences, results in variances of definitions among the states in this study; (4) there is a gap between personal definitions of good teaching and the descriptions of what can be accomplished in policy; and (5) teacher quality is defined by state policymakers (a) in similar terms across states as a whole, but with different emphases by the four sectors; (b) by the specific policy instruments used to address the problem of teacher quality; and (c) in the current national climate of accountability and political expediency. A number of recommendations for policy and research are presented in the last chapter. / 2031-01-02

A strong focus has been placed on accountability for the educational process and the achievement of all students. This has put tremendous pressure on teachers, as well as school administrators, superintendents, and school board members, to seek innovative ways to increase student achievement and to ensure that effective teachers are in all classrooms, so emphasis is on developing effective evaluation systems. Given the development and implementation of the Mississippi Teacher Evaluation System (MTES) in 2010, there is a need to discover the perspectives of the teachers who are evaluated within this process. The success of an evaluation process will only be successful if teachers use it to enhance their professional growth and effectiveness in the classroom. In order to gain an understanding of the perceptions of Mississippi teachers in Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) schools and their insight into the MTES, this study focused on three research questions: (1) how do Mississippi teachers perceive the usefulness of the MTES, (2) how do Mississippi teachers perceive that the MTES develops their effective teaching practices, and (3) how do Mississippi teachers perceive that the MTES supports teachers’ professional growth? A qualitative approach provided descriptive, narrative, and percentage responses to the research questions of this multiple-case study. Results showed that the majority of the TIF teachers who participated in this study perceived that the MTES to have some degree of usefulness, especially when implemented consistently across the campus. Teachers who did not experience the entire evaluation process and feedback conferences were frustrated and irritated by the process. Overall, teachers did experience an improvement in their instructional practices because of their participation in the MTES, and most perceived that the MTES supported their professional growth because of targeted professional development and the development of professional-growth goals. With timely feedback and evaluator support, teachers are enriching their teaching practices which enhance student engagement, but they are concerned that the instrument is not being implemented consistently in all schools. There is a lack of confidence in navigating the observation rubric and implementing the process with consistency.