This retrospective highlights key findings and lessons learned from our analyses of both the Excellence in Teaching Project (EITP) and Recognizing Educators Advancing Chicago’s Students (REACH Students).
The UChicago Consortium’s Teacher Evaluation Research to Date
Teacher evaluation systems have been a pillar of recent efforts to improve instruction and ensure that all students have access to effective educators. In 2006, Chicago Public Schools began revising its approach to teacher evaluation and the UChicago Consortium undertook an investigation of the impact various systems have had on teachers, students, and administrators. Our studies have included annual surveys of teachers and principals, quantitative analysis of all available ratings, and qualitative interviews with educators and administrators.
From 2008 to 2010, the UChicago Consortium conducted a formative and summative evaluation of the EITP pilot, a new teacher evaluation system using the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching, as well as structured conferences between principals and teachers. Starting in 2012, CPS began implementing REACH and the UChicago Consortium looked at the perceptions and experiences of teachers and administrators over the course of REACH implementation, as well as differences in observation and value-added scores by teacher, student, and school characteristics.
