Page 81 - EdViewptsSpring2019-web

The Symbiotic Relationship

of Instructional Practice and

Teacher Evaluation

By Deborah L. Krause, Ed.D., Director of Curriculum and Instruction,
Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools

Beyond ensuring the instructional practice when necessary; focus is on how to improve communica-
safety of our students, and finally, how can we best facilitate tion between administrators and teach-
conversation about quality instructional
ers, and the methodology is having
improvement of practice between teachers and admin- quick, meaningful conversations about
teaching and learning istrators? In my district it falls to me in instruction. Conversations open the door
to better instruction when they happen
my role as Director of Curriculum and
in the classroom is an Instruction, to facilitate and answer the before administrators formally evalu-
administrator’s most first two questions. I have chosen to ate teaching. After a brief classroom
take on the last question, which in my
visit an administrator shares evidence
important responsibility. opinion, is the key to improving how without judgement or suggestions with
Educational leaders often ask these teachers instruct and administrators the teacher, administrators do not take
questions: How can we increase the evaluate instruction. During the past notes or make recommendations, they
likelihood that we will see evidence seven years, there have been many simply use evidence to transfer the
of the research-based instructional challenges, and despite some resis- responsibility of improving instruction to
practices we value most displayed in our tance, I have learned some very practi- the teacher. I call this process “formative
classrooms? How do we support and cal ways to move the idea of continual evaluation” because it provides valuable
train teachers to make changes to their instructional improvement forward. My feedback and allows teachers an op-

Educational Viewpoints -79- Spring 2019