Destructive domains: rethinking teacher evaluation in the age of Charlotte Danielson

Abstract

In this manuscript, we argue that the increasing use of reductive tools born out of neoliberal reforms in education, such as The Framework for Teaching, a tool for teacher evaluation credited to Charlotte Danielson, limits the possibilities for emergent, improvisational teaching. We consider the broader political landscape of the last 25 years to suggest that The Framework for Teaching illuminates a preoccupation in education with so-called measurable results in ways that hurt teachers while advancing political agendas and profiting private corporations. Next, we rely on storytelling methodology to critique the framework and offer alternative ways of thinking about teacher evaluation. Ultimately, our critique intends to prompt more humane understandings of teacher evaluation, thereby permitting and engendering improvisational pedagogies.,

Keywords:

• Teacher Evaluation
• Improvisation
• Arts-Based Educational Research
• Narrative
• Neoliberalism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 We disguise the names of the two schools mentioned in this manuscript. We leave reference to the state of Minnesota to contextualize Sam’s encounter with The Framework for Teaching.

2 The rest of this manuscript is written in third-person. We return to first-person only during the continuation of Sam’s story.

3 Much has been written about both the ontology and application of improvisation in education. We approach improvisation through the lens of improv theatre, and see the potential for improvisational praxis to transform a variety of educational practices including teacher knowledge, student learning, and policy. This discussion is taken up in greater detail in other work (see Tanner & McCloskey, under review).

4 https://education.alaska.gov/akaccountability/educator/teacher_eval_model_comparison_chart.pdf

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Samuel Tanner

Dr. Samuel Tanner is an associate professor in the Penn State system as well as a creative writer and improviser. His research concerns whiteness, improvisation, and critical pedagogy.

Andrea McCloskey

Dr. Andrea McCloskey is an associate professor at Penn State as well as an improviser. She is a mathematics education researcher.

Erin Miller

Dr. Erin Miller is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research concerns anti-racism, whiteness, and literacy.