ABSTRACT

No educational reform or innovation can bring forth the intended changes in student learning unless those reforms and innovations make a dent in teacher effectiveness. Consistent with the belief that school improvement happens one classroom at a time, Ted Hershberg articulated quite well why we need to consider the teacher as the unit of analysis if we are to improve our schools: 1

NCLB [No Child Left Behind] moved in the right direction in requiring accountability. But in making the school rather than the individual educator the unit of accountability, it fell short for two important reasons. First, because there is greater variation in the quality of instruction within schools than between them, it is essential to report data at the classroom level for evaluation purposes. Second, systemic changes...will be achieved only when the career of everyone working in our public schools are tied to successful learning outcomes. (p. 279; emphasis added)