| Secretary Arne Duncan of the U.S. Department of | | | | Principals need to ensure that their teachers set their |
| Education is concerned about improving the | | | | students up for success. This means incorporating a |
| effectiveness of teachers and addressing the issue of | | | | variety of learning activities to meet the needs of |
| low performing schools. However, the current focus on | | | | different learning styles. This also means reinforcing the |
| student test scores to assess teacher performance | | | | need to check student comprehension and re-teach |
| seems misguided. Student test scores are only a | | | | as needed. |
| symptom of teacher effectiveness. If the goal is | | | | Second, principals need to be trained in effective |
| successful student learning, it can only be achieved | | | | supervision, performance management, and coaching |
| through better and more effective teacher preparation, | | | | techniques so that they can establish, monitor and |
| principal preparation, and classroom oversight. | | | | enforce teacher accountability. This includes the skills |
| Problem: Many teachers in challenged schools are | | | | to coach low performing teachers, set specific |
| unprepared to meet the needs of different learners or | | | | remedial performance goals and measures and time |
| to manage their classrooms. | | | | tables, establish a monitoring process, and follow |
| Many long-term and some new teachers have no idea | | | | through. |
| how to create an effective lesson plan. They do not | | | | Solution: Provide principals training in basic learning |
| know how to write specific, observable, measurable | | | | principles and lesson plan design, as well as training in |
| learning objectives. They do not understand the need | | | | supervision, performance management, and coaching. |
| to incorporate a variety of learning activities that will | | | | Problem: Many teachers in challenged schools are not |
| give the students an opportunity to learn and apply the | | | | held accountable for the teaching choices they make |
| lesson. | | | | and the manner in which they interact with students. |
| They do not check for comprehension to see if they | | | | Once trained, the teachers need to be held |
| need to re-teach a lesson before they assign | | | | accountable for using effective lesson design and |
| independent study. | | | | classroom management techniques to achieve real |
| Some new teachers have not been taught how to | | | | learning in their classrooms. Some teachers have |
| create or maintain an effective learning environment. | | | | literally given up. Because these teachers also have no |
| They either attempt to be the students' friends or act | | | | classroom management skills, chaos results and no |
| as their disciplinarians. If they want to be the students' | | | | learning takes place. |
| friends, they are unwilling to establish limits or to | | | | Some teachers interact with their students in a manner |
| constructively focus the students on learning the | | | | that indicates they do not like or respect them. These |
| lesson content. If they see themselves primarily as | | | | teachers are only concerned about "getting through" |
| disciplinarians, they focus all of their time and energy on | | | | the syllabus rather than ensuring that their students |
| control rather than real learning, resulting in an | | | | successfully learn the syllabus content. |
| adversarial, anxiety-filled, and often abusive | | | | These issues only surface and become apparent |
| environment. Both approaches are detrimental to | | | | during classroom audits. |
| effective learning. | | | | There is a real need for an objective outside observer |
| Solution: Provide on-site training on diversified curriculum | | | | to audit these classes. First, this ensures an educated |
| design and classroom management techniques. | | | | review and assessment of the degree of learning, |
| Problem: Many principals in challenged schools are | | | | based on the lesson plan and its execution. |
| unprepared to supervise, monitor or manage teacher | | | | Second, this ensures an unbiased review of teacher |
| performance. | | | | behavior in the classroom. |
| The effectiveness of the teachers and the learning | | | | Third, auditor documentation and feedback provide |
| environment that they create are directly within the | | | | validation for effective teachers and incentive for the |
| control of the principals. However, many of the | | | | principals to take specific remedial action in the case of |
| principals who are willing to move to impoverished | | | | ineffective teachers. |
| areas lack the necessary supervisory and | | | | Solution: Bring in outside observers to conduct |
| performance management skills. In other words, they | | | | objective classroom audits. |
| do not know how to manage, coach, or hold poor | | | | If the goal is to improve the effectiveness of teachers |
| teachers accountable for making demonstrable | | | | and address the issue of low performing schools, there |
| constructive improvements in their teaching or | | | | are three problems that must be solved: inadequate |
| classroom management styles. As a result, the | | | | teacher training, inadequate principal preparation, and |
| schools fail. | | | | inadequate classroom oversight. Better education of |
| There are two areas in which school principals need | | | | teachers and principals is necessary- in the long term, |
| additional training. First, principals need to be trained in | | | | at the college level, and in the short term, through |
| learning principles and lesson plan design, so that they | | | | onsite training programs. More objective oversight of |
| can effectively review teacher performance. | | | | teacher performance in the classroom is also |
| Some principals do not understand basic learning | | | | necessary. Until the time when principals are better |
| principles or what an effective lesson plan should look | | | | qualified to assess teacher performance, an objective |
| like. As a result, they are ill equipped to review lesson | | | | third party auditor should be used. |
| plans to ensure that they are effective. | | | | |