Entrances, barriers and bridges to authentic tenured teacher evaluation in Newfoundland : moving beyond "getting done"

Morris, Jane Elizabeth (2001) Entrances, barriers and bridges to authentic tenured teacher evaluation in Newfoundland : moving beyond "getting done". Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the need for an authentic tenured teacher evaluation policy within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Using the voices of teachers, the intent was to uncover their evaluation experiences and perceptions as well as gain an understanding of their needs for both tenured evaluation and their role in the process of developing and implementing such policy. A secondary aim was to explore a link between early evaluative experiences and later teaching attitudes and values. -- Interviews were conducted with 15 teachers enrolled in the Education Graduate program at Memorial University of Newfoundland during the 2000 summer session in St. John's, Newfoundland. The teachers, all tenured, represented 8 of the 10 school districts in the province. At the time of this study these districts were found in various stages of tenured evaluation policy development and implementation, ranging from acknowledging the need for new policy to recent implementation. -- The findings indicated a teacher population that wanted meaningful evaluation but felt powerless in attaining it. They viewed the current evaluation approach for both tenured and untenured alike as a product that sat outside their professional practice. Words such as artificial, judgmental and farcical were used as descriptors. While they envisioned the process of professional growth and goal-setting as a more authentic and empowering form of evaluation, their experiences and perceptions of the traditional, top-down method of school district policy development and implementation gave them little hope. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between the degree of collegiality and quality feedback early in teachers' careers and their current levels of morale, trust, and collaborative mindset.

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