ABSTRACT
Research findings raise many concerns about the quality and adequacy of the training that principals received to successfully implement new teacher-evaluation systems. Most Race to the Top (RTTT)-inspired models required principals to observe all teachers annually, and multiple times within a given year with most states requiring one to four observations annually. RTTT teacher evaluations did not provide the support, time, and resources for teachers to be observed an appropriate number of times by multiple individuals. In summarizing principals’ observation and feedback practices under RTTT, it is important to recognize that principals often adapted new teacher-evaluation models to fit their context. RTTT teacher evaluation required principals to engage in more observation and provide more frequent feedback to teachers, but, because of the increased demands placed on principals, these expectations were impossible to fulfill. Policymakers’ focus on quantity as opposed to quality reduced the potential for RTTT to improve teaching and learning.
