Designing and Implementing Teacher Evaluation Systems

Nearly 50 state education leaders convened in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 27–28, 2011, to learn more about teacher evaluation systems. SEDL’s Southeast and Texas Comprehensive Centers sponsored the institute, which included participants from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Participants engaged in sessions led by experts in the field, learned about the progress and challenges of other states, and discussed with their colleagues the steps their respective states need to take to implement a comprehensive teacher evaluation system. They also had the opportunity to meet with nationally recognized educators and researchers—Charlotte Danielson, Laura Goe, and Lynn Holdheide—to learn about best practices and current work in the area of teacher evaluation systems. In addition to collaborative presentations and work sessions, participants viewed the movie American Teacher, which featured some of the presenters at the institute. As a follow-up to the institute, attendees also were invited to join fellow education leaders during a webinar on September 8 for an in-depth look at Colorado’s proposed teacher evaluation system.

The free materials include the presentations, webinar, and information about the presenters and facilitators.