Does Better Observation Make Better Teachers?
This article examines a unique intervention in the Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) Excellence in Teaching Project (EITP) to uncover the causal impact on school performance of the Danielson Framework for Teaching, an evaluation system based on highly structured classroom observations of teacher practice. According to the authors, the Danielson Framework for Teaching observation system is “an iterative process of observation and conferencing focused on improving lesson planning and preparation, the classroom environment, and instructional techniques [that] should drive positive changes in teacher practice. As teachers refine their skills and learn how best to respond to their students’ learning needs, student performance should improve.” The authors found that the EITP program had large effects of the intervention on school reading performance, and the program had the largest impact in low-poverty and high-achieving schools but little or no impact in less-advantaged schools.
This resource provides insight into the benefits of educator evaluation practices and elements of implementation, as well as staff and school composition, that might influence desired outcomes. Its methods help to identify a number of elements that impact statistically significant outcomes in student achievement. Its organization and use of charts to profile some of its findings are good, and districts implementing new educator evaluation models would benefit from considering the findings when designing new systems, structures, and training.