'Evaluating Educator Effectiveness' Event Generates Valuable Discourse Among Education Thought-Leaders

Using educator evaluation data to provide teachers with meaningful feedback on their performance and to help students learn and grow was a major theme discussed at GSEHD's Evaluating Educator Effectiveness event, a three-part panel discussion held at GW on October 24th.

Expert panelists included thought-leaders and education policymakers ranging from Scott Thompson of DC Public Schools and Kelly Burling from Pearson to Lloyd Bond, a retired Carnegie Scholar, and Ericka Miller from The Education Trust, among others. The event was designed to enhance and broaden the national conversation on the issue of educator evaluation.

During an overview of the issue, Burling said it is important to think about personalized education for educators, not just for students. "We need to take the data and make it meaningful for teachers," she said.

In the first panel, moderated by GSEHD Dean Michael J. Feuer, Suzanne Wilson, chair and professor in the department of teacher education at Michigan State University, said support for teachers needs to be emphasized more, and school districts should be recognized as being variant and diverse.

During the second panel discussion, Jane Hannaway of the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER) and American Institutes for Research cautioned against using a cookie cutter set of policies for a diverse set of teachers. Lloyd Bond added that it is very difficult for teachers to implement personalized learning for each of their students, especially when they have large class sizes and students with a widely varying levels of academic achievement and preparation.

Moderated by Colin Green, chair of GSEHD's department of curriculum and pedagogy, the final panel focused on reflections on teacher evaluation and the reform movement. Robin Gelinas Berkley of EducationCounsel said educator evaluation should be used to inform professional development. Scott Thompson added that the role of school principals should be reconsidered because it is a difficult position for educators, and having good principals in place is a major factor in teacher retention.

The full list of panelists and participants included:

Lloyd Bond – Senior Scholar (ret.), Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Kelly Burling – Director, Center for Educator Effectiveness at Pearson

Robin Gelinas Berkley – Senior Policy Advisor, EducationCounsel

Michael Feuer - Dean, Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University

Colin Green - Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy, Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University

Jane Hannaway – Director, CALDER and Vice-President, American Institutes for Research (AIR)

Sabrina Laine - Vice President of Education, Human Development and the Workforce at American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Director, National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality

Ericka Miller – Vice President, Operations and Strategic Leadership at The Education Trust

Scott Thompson – Deputy Chief, Teacher Effectiveness Strategy at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)

Suzanne Wilson – Michigan State University Distinguished Professor, Department of Teacher Education and Director, Michigan State University College of Education’s Center for the Scholarship of Teaching

Ross Wiener – Vice President and Executive Director, Education and Society Program at the Aspen Institute