In light of federal educational policy reforms that call for \"highly qualified\" teachers in every classroom, it is important to consider how the concept of teacher effectiveness gets defined and by whom. Policy-makers have typically defined effective teachers as those whose students achieve high scores on standardized tests, but would classroom teachers agree? This study shares the perspectives of six high school teachers who each took part in two interviews, four observations, and a survey about definitions and evaluations of teacher effectiveness. Their stories and practices were crafted into narrative portraits that illustrate how they define and practice effective teaching. The six portraits exemplify a variety of definitions of effectiveness, with most perspectives focusing on student emotional growth and relational aspects of schooling. Participants generally described effectiveness as a dynamic state as opposed to a static trait, and believed the construct was better understood on a smaller scale of days, classes, and lessons. The results of this study suggest that effectiveness is much more tied to context, demanding questions such as: Effective at what? Effective for whom? Effective when? The results of this investigation suggest that when schools attempt to better understand their purpose, they will be able to more accurately define what effectiveness means within their context and then choose a proper method of evaluation.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 24171