Teachers\u27 perceptions of evaluation and teachers\u27 sense of self-efficacy in high-performing high schools

The evaluation, improvement, and accountability of teachers has been the topic of the nation throughout the era of No Child Left Behind. Where some critics point to a business model of measuring outputs (i.e., student achievement scores on standardized tests) to evaluate teacher performance, others will advocate for a fair evaluation system that takes into account the dynamic nature of children and their learning processes. Educators are professionals who need feedback and ownership in the process in order to maximize their growth and ability to positively affect student achievement. Missing in the discussion is the acknowledgement that self-efficacy plays an important role in motivation and the belief that one can perform a dynamic task fluently. By linking self-efficacy to the evaluation process, school administrators can develop professional educators to increase student achievement within their buildings. The purpose of this study was to further the body of research into teacher evaluation by examining the models used by two large, high-performing high school in Indiana. Of particular interest were the types of models used in the high schools, the measure of teachers\u27 self-efficacy at the respective schools, and the relationship that other factors such as level of education attained and overall years of experience had on evaluation and self-efficacy. Although Alpha High School and Beta High School have similar demographics and sustained success, the evaluation systems for teachers differ. At Alpha High School, the number and frequency of observations and conferences are higher than that of Beta High School. Additionally, where Beta High School continues to have summative evaluations for permanent teachers once every three years, Alpha High School employs a professional growth model that creates self-directed goals and administrative conferences for its permanent teachers. Through multiple regression analyses and analyses of variance, a pattern emerged that showed that Alpha High School\u27s faculty possessed significantly higher self-efficacy than Beta High School\u27s faculty in the areas of Student Engagement, Instructional Strategies, and Classroom Management. The nature of evaluation and accountability is fraught with complexities and confounding variables; however, when excellent schools seek improvement into pre-eminence, every policy and procedure must be examined to maximize effects on student achievement. Thus, the implementation of evaluation systems that create professional dialogue with a focus on student achievement can empower teachers and raise self-efficacy, which in turn, can raise student achievement