Date of Award

Fall 10-26-2016

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

EdD Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Department

Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Advisor

Barbara V. Strobert, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Anthony Colella, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, Ph.D.

Keywords

teacher evaluation, Marzano Causal Teacher Evaluation Model, Teacher Perception, New Jersey, AchieveNJ, Instructional Leadership

Abstract

Teacher evaluation practices have been a common topic of discussion at the federal, state, and local levels in recent years. The literature asserts that teacher evaluation has a dual purpose: (1) to improve teacher instructional practice, and (2) to inform personnel decisions (retention and dismissal) (Donaldson & Papay, 2014; Gabriel, 2015; Garrett & Steinberg, 2015; Marzano & Toth, 2013). While districts are certainly utilizing evaluation instruments for the purpose of making personnel decisions, there is little research to support the claim that teacher growth is occurring as a direct result of teacher evaluation practices. It is essential that educational leaders consider teacher perception of teacher evaluation practices if the evaluation practices are to effectively address and fulfill a purpose of teacher evaluation: improvement of teacher instructional practice. Perception represents an individual’s reality and influences one’s interactions with and opinions of a particular phenomenon. For these reasons, the researcher explored teacher perceptions of a widely utilized evaluation model: The Marzano Causal Teacher Evaluation Model.

This study focused specifically on the ways in which teachers perceive the Marzano model has or has not influenced professional practices and relationships since its adoption in 2012 at a New Jersey high school. Further, this study is an investigation of teachers’ beliefs regarding the accuracy of their evaluations ascertained by the use of the Marzano Model.

The results of this study speak to the complexity of the change process, the importance of the perceived validity of the evaluation instrument, the influence of perceived credibility of and support from evaluators, and the overwhelming desire for educators to hone and improve their craft. The results of this study also suggest that if administrators are viewed as coaches instead of solely as assessors, teacher evaluation practices have the potential of improving teacher practice and, ultimately, student achievement.

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