The Widget Effect Report: Kim Marshall As A Teacher Evaluation System

First of all, the Widget Effect Report reminded a lot of the experiences I have had as an educator. I have worked for two major school districts; Oakland, CA and Kansas City, MO. Both of these districts have faced the same challenges when it comes to teacher evaluations and how they impact the profession. This report really brings up questions that should be at the forefront of our education policy changes, why do major school districts have a hard time dealing with poor instruction, and why are so many students are failing even though they are taught by professionals who have a lot of experience? As I read the report, I can not only think about my personal experience, but also about the experience of Kim Marshall as a principal. The report did a great job at highlighting the following issues with our current teacher evaluation process: teachers are mostly

First of all, we need to hold educators accountable, but they must be evaluated fairly, and they must be provided with PD opportunities to improve. They must also show growth through student academic and test growth. In order for this to happen, principals have to be trained to give effective feedback and know how to have tough conversations with their teachers. We must not only hold teachers accountable, but also those that are giving the evaluations. Evaluations should be used to not only improve teaching, but to help schools make staff changes and teacher placement. Many times teachers not comfortable teaching something they have not taught before, but we need to move past that and use our skills to help our students. Teachers need to be able to step outside their comfort zone. If teachers are not performing, they need to be dismissed or replaced. right now we have many loopholes in our system which keeps many teachers around who are not always the best fit for our