ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the more traditional approach on which many current policies for improving teaching in the United States. It lays out an alternative research approach, one that prompted the Japanese representative's response. The chapter argues that improvement science focuses its assessment on processes, not people – on teaching, not teachers. It illustrates the aspect of improvement science because it stands in stark contrast to strong movements in the United States toward teacher evaluation and accountability. The chapter discusses most common among US education researchers, relies on general theories of teaching, measures of students' learning valid across multiple curricula, rubrics to observe teaching that can be used for different subjects and grade levels. It also discusses sophisticated statistical techniques that look for significant relationships between teaching and learning. All of this is captured by the simple equation: value-added modeling+ Measures of Effective Teaching= Improved Teaching. The chapter concludes the alignment of the alternative approach with the goal of improving teaching.
