EPAA/AAPE is a peer-reviewed, open-access, international, multilingual, and multidisciplinary journal designed for researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and development analysts concerned with education policies. EPAA/AAPE accepts unpublished original manuscripts in English, Spanish and Portuguese without restriction as to conceptual and methodological perspectives, time or place. EPAA/AAPE publishes issues comprised of empirical articles, commentaries, and special issues at roughly weekly intervals, all of which pertain to educational policy, with direct implications for educational policy.
Alisha M. B. Braun University of South Florida United States
Alisha M. B. Braun, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Social Foundations in the Department of Educational and Psychological Studies at the University of South Florida. Her research explores educational policies and practices related to access to quality education for marginalized children, with a focus on children with disabilities in developing contexts.
Peter Youngs University of Virginia United States
Peter Youngs, Ph.D. is a Professor of Education in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education at the University of Virginia. His research explores the effects of educational policy and school social context on teaching and learning in the core academic subjects. His work has a special focus on the relationship between policy and practice in the areas of teacher education, induction, evaluation, and professional development.
How middle school special and general educators make sense of and respond to changes in teacher evaluation policy
Alisha M. B. Braun, Peter Youngs
Abstract
In this multiple case study, we apply sensemaking theory to examine and compare how middle school special and general educators perceive and respond to teacher evaluation reform, including formal classroom observations, informal walkthroughs, and student growth measures. Our findings reveal that special educators experience conflict between the policy’s main elements and their understandings of how to effectively teach students with disabilities. Furthermore, special and general educators held contrasting beliefs regarding the appropriateness of evaluation. Our findings illustrate the importance of acknowledging differences in special and general educators’ roles and responsibilities and encourage policymakers to reconsider uniform teacher evaluation policies.
Keywords
teacher evaluation; accountability; educational reform; sensemaking theory
Johnson, E., & Semmelroth, C.L. (2014). Special education teacher evaluation: Why it matters, what makes it challenging, and how to address these challenges. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 39, 71-82.
Jones, N. (2016). Special education teacher evaluation: An examination of critical issues and recommendations for practice. In J. A. Grissom & P. Youngs (Eds.), Improving teacher evaluation systems: Making the most of multiple measures (pp. 63-76). New York: Teacher’s College Press.
Jones, N.D., & Brownell, M.T. (2014). Examining the use of classroom observations in the evaluation of special education teachers. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 39(2), 112-24.