School Administrators’ Perceptions of the James Stronge Teacher Evaluation System

This qualitative study examined school administrators’ perceptions of the James Stronge teacher evaluation system, one of five approved evaluation systems by the New Jersey Department of Education from the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey Act (TEACHNJ) in 2012. Fourteen administrators from a suburban district were interviewed to examine their views of the Stronge model’s influence on teachers’ instructional practice, the accuracy of the ratings found from using this model, and its influence on their instructional leadership. The results indicate the seven performance indicators at the heart of the Stronge evaluation system are valuable to administrators as they communicate with teachers regarding their instruction. The Instructional Delivery indicator within the observation process was overwhelmingly identified as a significant tool for administrators. Regarding accuracy of ratings, the administrators in this study found the evaluation process to be subjective despite the objective design of the system. Additionally, it was troubling to use one system as both a tool for growth and professional development as well as evaluation. Finally, as instructional leaders, the administrators interviewed for this study felt the Stronge system had not had a major impact on their approach to professional development and goal setting, although it was acknowledged that as part of an upper middle class suburban community with high student achievement results, they were already able to focus on professional development in a way that may be different from other communities