Evaluating America’s Teachers
Mission Possible?
- W. James Popham - University of California, Los Angeles, USA
When teacher evaluations are fair, everyone wins.
Poor evaluation systems don’t just hurt teachers—they hurt students, too. That’s why America can’t afford to wait for the teacher-evaluation problem to be solved. To provide balanced, accurate, and rigorous evaluations that take into account each teacher’s particular circumstances, only one system can work: evidence-governed collegial judgment.
As states and schools scramble to find workable responses to accountability mandates, well-informed educators can make key contributions. Start here with
- A discussion of common evaluation systems, including testing, value-added models, and observations
- Analysis of federal guidelines and state responses
- Action steps teachers and school leaders can take to influence policy
- A clear rationale and strategies for implementing a teacher evaluation model based on human judgment
Evaluating America’s Teachers demonstrates that the vision is possible: effective teacher evaluations that benefit schools as a whole.
“Teachers, administrators, and policy makers rejoice! Here is a single book, from a nationally recognized scholar, that makes sense of the issues involved with the evaluation of teachers.”
—David C. Berliner, Regents’ Professor Emeritus
Arizona State University
“Once again Jim Popham has brought insight and clarity to a complex topic that only a person of his stature and expertise could provide.”
—Robert J. Marzano, CEO
Marzano Research Laboratory
“In an effective and diplomatic manner, Jim suggests concrete ways policymakers, along with local school leaders and teachers, can make sure our students are protected from summative teacher-evaluation systems that do more harm than good. No one should make policy at any level or strive to build a defensible teacher evaluation system without studying this book.”
—Rick Stiggins, Retired Executive Director
Assessment Training Institute
"As states ramp up their teacher evaluation efforts, it is becoming more and more important that this is done in a way that benefits, rather than harms, students. In this important and well-argued book, Jim Popham explains why teacher evaluation absolutely has to be based on a "weighted evidence" approach, and shows what policy-makers, administrators, and teachers need to do to make this work. Everyone interested in the quality of education in the United States should read this book."