The Texas and Southeast Comprehensive Centers at SEDL have invited Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen, from the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Legacy Foundation, to present an in-depth discussion of Colorado’s teacher evaluation system. Colorado’s proposed evaluation system has garnered national attention as a promising model for identifying highly effective teachers. This follow-up webinar to the above regional institute will focus on the nuts and bolts and the practical steps for implementing or enhancing a teacher evaluation system.

Description:

1. Development of a coherent framework for teacher evaluation that includes both professional practice and student growth measures;
2. The challenges of identifying and selecting student growth measures for use in teacher evaluations for all teachers, including those in non-tested subjects and grades;
3. The aggregation of multiple measures in order to make determinations about teacher effectiveness;
4. Communications strategies for various stakeholders; and
5. Take-aways—do’s and don’ts, issues and challenges, and ways to overcome obstacles.

After the webinar, participants will be able to

• Increase understanding of Colorado’s experiences in developing, implementing, and refining its teacher evaluation system, and
• Discuss Colorado’s experiences as they relate to efforts by other states to develop and implement their own teacher evaluation systems

Target Audience:

• Educators involved in the teacher evaluation, quality, and/or effectiveness initiatives in their state
• Decision makers in the state departments of education
• Individuals with education intermediary agencies, staff at higher education institutions, board members, and pertinent consultants

Ulcca Joshi Hansen, Ph.D.

Ulcca Joshi Hansen is the Associate Director for Educator Effectiveness at the Colorado Legacy Foundation. She is currently serving as an executive on loan to the Colorado Department of Education to assist in developing the pilot process for the state’s Senate Bill 191 (This bill called for a statewide system that ties teacher and principal evaluation to student academic growth and changes the way teachers get and keep tenure.) Most recently, Dr. Hansen served as the director of the Technical Advisory Group to the State Council for Educator Effectiveness. In that capacity she directed the collection of best practices and research for use by the council in developing its recommendations for a statewide performance evaluation framework for teachers and principals. She also assisted in the drafting of the council’s final recommendations and report to the Colorado State Board of Education.

Previously, Dr. Hansen conducted research on educator effectiveness evaluations as part of her work with Colorado State Senator Mike Johnston’s efforts to pass Senate Bill 10-191. In addition, she worked with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on developing standards and rubrics for effective schools. Dr. Hansen began her education career teaching third grade in Newark, NJ before joining the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation as a Program Fellow. She has also served as a consultant to the Oxford University Department of Education and the British government, evaluating literacy and numeracy programs in prisons and researching turnaround strategies for failing urban schools. While living in Dubai, Dr. Hansen worked in the corporate and litigation departments of Clifford Chance LLP.

While earning a B.A. in philosophy and German and a certification in early childhood and elementary education from Drew University in New Jersey, Hansen was awarded a Truman Scholarship. She earned her Ph.D. in education from Oxford University, on a Marshall Scholarship, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was awarded a Soros Fellowship. She joined the Colorado Bar in 2010.

Dr. Hansen currently serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors for Rocky Mountain Preparatory Academy, a pre-K through 8 charter school applying for a charter to open in southwest Denver in the fall of 2012. She has also volunteered with the Rape Awareness and Assistance Program and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (both based in Denver), directing and performing in charity productions for both organizations in 2010. She previously served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate and as a board member for Habitat for Humanity in Newark, NJ.