Growth Without End: Exploring the Connections Between Teacher Evaluations and Professional Development in Secondary Schools

Abstract

Teacher evaluations and professional development are a required element of an educator’s professional life, yet there often appears to be little commonality of purposeful goal-making between the two, leading to a gap between expectations and teacher performance in the classroom (Ford et al., 2018; Katsarou & Tsafos, 2013; Leggett & Smith, 2019, Smylie 2014). The use or absence of effective teaching practices has a profound and cumulative impact on students (Cioè-Peña, 2021; Koyama & Menken, 2013; Laurillard, 2016; Leggett & Smith, 2019; Reddy, et al., 2017; Tate, 1997; Yosso, 2005). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate secondary-school teacher evaluations and professional development systems to determine if an intended connection is perceived to exist between them, and how the systems are being used to meet the diverse needs of students and teachers in the classroom.To fulfill this purpose, I conducted a qualitative comparative case study, gathering teacher and administrator perspectives about their systems of teacher evaluation and professional development through semi-structured interviews with eleven participants. I coded the data using a thematic approach and analyzed the coded data using the framework of the cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT). The findings showed a clear desire for growth on the part of all participants and the impact of defining this growth as an object on the eventual outcomes for teachers and their students, as well as the role which a perception of support and knowledge play in fostering a willingness to access and implement effective teaching strategies. Keywords: Cultural-historical activity theory, teacher evaluations, professional development, effective teaching strategies.