ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to problematize the research constructs teacher effectiveness (TE) and teacher quality (TQ). The research constructs of TE and TQ are performance identifiers and they act as symbolic carriers of surveillance about the performance of individual classroom teachers. Their accountability mechanism relies on a calculable linear cause-effect rationale. The chapter begins by suggesting that there are complexities in the field of education which are susceptible to overly simple explanations. The effectiveness and quality of teachers are about the value they bring to in-classroom student learning. The scholastic achievement of students is in reality about mastering a series of different relationships. The chapter shows that policy-making discussions about school education are repeatedly framed in deficit and/or economic terms. It deals with an inherent contradiction at the heart of research dealing with TE and TQ. School managers and state education departments may consider school and teacher productivity purely in terms of quantifiable results.
