A Study of Rural Principals’ Evaluative Practices Using the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2022.v12n1p25-40Keywords:
educational leadership, teacher development, school principals, teacher evaluation, rural educationAbstract
The study of effective school leaders and teacher evaluators has been a topic of interest to researchers for decades. While there have been a number of studies performed on urban schools, this study seeks to add to the body of research from the perspective of rural schools. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the strategies and practices teacher evaluators employ in the evaluation process to improve instructional practices on their campuses. The study highlights the important role that relationships, communication, organization, training, targeted feedback, and calibration play in creating an environment. While each principal noted the factors above are important to the evaluation process, they differed in their beliefs and approaches to improving teacher performance. Findings suggest that principals must use a variety of tools and methods to engage teachers in the evaluation process, which in turn, will help improve their instructional practices.
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