Making Teacher Evaluation Work: A Guide for Literacy Teachers and Leaders

"In an ideal world policy makers would never consider implementing an evaluation scheme that had generated no supportive research base. We don’t live in an ideal world as evidenced by the various state teacher evaluation schemes, none of which has been found to provide reliable evidence of effective teaching or learning. Luckily, Gabriel and Woulfin offer us an informed alternative, one that allows us to evaluate literacy teachers’ performance and to promote their growth. Read this book and then pass it along to your colleagues, your school administrator, or to a member of your local board of education."

-Richard Allington 

Teacher evaluation is stressful. With mixed messages about the policies, purposes, and processes, more often than not teacher evaluations leave everyone feeling confused, anxious, and disillusioned. But what if there was a way to not only improve the evaluation process, but use evaluation as a way to improve teaching and learning?

Making Teacher Evaluation Work is a resource for teachers and evaluators to read together, filling a much-needed role by providing valuable information about every step of the evaluation process. Rachael Gabriel and Sarah Woulfin walk you through the entire process ­­from policy to practice, ­­offering context and strategies with the goal of improving the teacher evaluation process for everyone involved and support student literacy learning. 

Starting with a clearly organized table of contents designed to help you find what you need when you need it, Rachael and Sarah examine the roles of teachers, teacher leaders, coaches, and principals in supporting high-quality literacy instruction in the context of accountability and evaluation policy. Each chapter is framed by a key question, followed by numerous scenarios, and a shareable list of points and take-and-go activities. Rachael and Sarah offer specific language and examples that will help:  

Rachael Gabriel is an Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education.  Rachael began her career in education as a middle school teacher in Washington, DC. Since then she has worked as a literacy specialist, new teacher advisor and intervention provider. She earned a PhD in Literacy Studies from the University of Tennessee. Rachael’s teaching and research focus on: teacher preparation, development and evaluation, as well as literacy instruction, interventions, and related policies.  

Dr. Sarah Woulfin is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Connecticut's Neag School of Education. As a former urban public school teacher and Reading First reading coach, she was dedicated to strengthening students’ literacy skills to promote educational equity. Her research uses organizational theory to investigate the relationship between policy, leadership, and classroom practice. She earned a Ph.D. in Education from the University of California-Berkeley.