The conventional idea is that teacher evaluation is based solely on classroom observation—and that the annual review is a “lets get it over with” thing. Personal and professional development is not generally part of the equation, and the evaluation system can be viewed as punitive rather than productive.
As a private-independent school Head, you want the best teachers—they are the frontline for delivering your mission to your students. You need an evaluation system that helps your teachers grow and develop, to reach professional and personal goals that help create a healthy faculty culture of professional excellence.
Teachers evaluated in a meaningful way (such as ISM’s MFE: Faculty Development and Renewal™ system) feel like participants rather than “victims” of an annual process. Teachers set their goals, which are “stretchy” versus concrete, and professional development is an integral part rather than a luxury.
Using ISM’s methodology, teachers work through a self-evaluation that encompasses school mission, personal mission, annual self-rating, and major goal development. For information about effectively implementing this type of system, read “MFE: Nine Factors Influencing Management Tactics and Pace of Implementation.”
Even with this broader approach, classroom observation is part of the equation, but only a part. To be effective though, the observation must be in relation to the measurable/observable goals the teacher has established.
A goal-and-growth approach to evaluation is generally teacher-friendly. It appears more as an institutional support for each teacher rather than an evaluation. Veteran teachers are an “at-risk” group. They have been in the classroom 10 years or more, and their enthusiasm and sense of purpose may be fading. They may have “lost their way,” and need to re-energize. Providing them with guidance that capitalizes on their experience, perspective, and influence while giving them new energy through personal and professional growth will have a positive impact on faculty culture and student performance.
However, “problem” teachers—those who can be labeled “toxic”—will see this kind of system as adversarial. Teachers who are a negative force in your school will see a growth-based evaluation system as a threat to what they are used to, a system they’ve learned to work to their advantage. Administrators can work with these teachers to help them adapt, or counsel them to work on an “exit strategy.”
For ways to re-energize your veterans, check ISM’s Seven Renewal Strategies for Veteran Teachers.
