How can principals and teachers best improve student learning gains? What do we know about teacher evaluation in Chicago? How have changes to Illinois principal preparation requirements affected education in the state? Since 1990, Consortium researchers have explored these questions, and many more. Here’s what we’ve learned about teachers & leaders:
Teacher Evaluation and its Role in Instructional Improvement
What We Know, What We Need to Know
Experiences of CPS Teachers and Administrators Preparing for the New Standards
A Developmental Framework
The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance
As part of its ongoing research on teacher evaluation, the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research (UChicago Consortium) is conducting a three-year study of Chicago Public Schools' (CPS) new teacher evaluation system, REACH. This study began in the 2016-17 school year and will continue through 2019. CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) are committed to being active partners in this study. The study is funded by the Joyce Foundation and the Spencer Foundation. The purpose of the study is to understand the benefits and limitations of REACH as a tool for instructional improvement and data-based decision making.
A large component of the study is interviewing principals and teachers in six CPS schools where teachers rate their principals as being very strong instructional leaders. These perspectives will help us to understand how teachers go about making improvements to instruction and how principals support them in their pursuits. Further, we will learn from principals about how they approach hiring and staffing their schools, as well as from teachers about how they think about their career paths. Participating schools, principals, and teachers will be kept confidential.
We will also analyze personnel and evaluation data from 2012-13 to today, as well as surveys of administrators and teachers. Administrator surveys are part of the UChicago Consortium's annual principal survey and teacher surveys are part of CPS's My Voice, My School survey.
| Title | Type | Date Sort ascending |
|---|---|---|
Reaching for ImprovementTeacher Evaluation and its Role in Instructional Improvement |
Report | May 2022 |
Teacher Evaluation in Chicago Public SchoolsAnalysis of the REACH Educator Evaluation and Support System, Five Years In |
Brief | Mar 2020 |
On the Path to Becoming a TeacherThe Landscape of Student Teaching in Chicago Public Schools |
Brief | Aug 2018 |
Teacher Evaluation in PracticeYear 3 Teacher and Administrator Perceptions of REACH |
Brief | Aug 2016 |
Teachers' Labor Market Responses to Performance Evaluation ReformExperimental Evidence from Chicago Public Schools |
Article | Aug 2016 |
Teacher Evaluation in ChicagoDifferences in Observation and Value-Added Scores by Teacher, Student, and School Characteristics |
Report | Jan 2016 |
Teacher Evaluation in ChicagoKey Findings from Consortium Research |
Brief | Jan 2016 |
Does Teacher Evaluation Improve School Performance? Experimental Evidence from Chicago's Excellence in Teaching Project |
Article | Oct 2015 |
Teacher Perspectives on Evaluation ReformChicago's REACH Students |
Article | Mar 2015 |
Teacher Evaluation in PracticeYear 2 Teacher and Administrator Perceptions of REACH |
Brief | Nov 2014 |