A few days ago, I addressed the complexity of quantifying and gauging teachers' performance. Recently, I ran across an article in the Atlantic that pushes this discussion further.
What Makes A Great Teacher?
Succinctly, Amanda Ripley reveals the data and conclusions from Teach for America's (TFA) internal study. "Right away, certain patterns emerged. First, great teachers tended to set big goals for their students. Great teachers, he concluded, constantly reevaluate what they are doing." Further, in reviewing the efficacy of its own teachers, TFA concluded that there are four aspects that make a great teacher:
1. They avidly recruited students and their families into the process.
2. They maintained focus, ensuring that everything they did contributed to student learning.
3. They planned exhaustively and purposefully—for the next day or the year ahead—by working backward from the desired outcome.
4. They worked relentlessly, refusing to surrender to the combined menaces of poverty, bureaucracy, and budgetary shortfalls.
Albeit somewhat vague--Ripley pushes these conclusions and makes them more operational. Also, she articulates predictors of teacher success and debunks many commonly-held misconceptions. For example, a past history of achievement (like GPA) and leadership strongly predicts teacher efficacy, whereas a master's degree in education is a relatively weak predictor.
Interestingly, Ripley mentioned a new metric that DC public schools is implementing. Much like my educator rating suggestion, which was inspired by the NFL's passer rating, DCPS is using a composite metric of student progress and teacher observations from the principal, assistant principal, and a group of master educators.
I have linked the full article above. It is insightful, thought-provoking, and worth the read.
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