Responses to including parents in teacher evaluation policy: A critical policy analysis

Abstract

The intersection of development in family and school settings has been well established and education policies have begun to promote ways to bridge the two contexts (i.e. teacher evaluations). For this manuscript, authors focus on how teachers and principals used a state educator evaluation policy to position parents as authorities on education. We utilize a Critical Policy Analysis and provide findings based on a study of 12 districts implementing a new teacher evaluation policy in Connecticut. Directionality of the strategies used to implement the policy surfaced as having implications for how much authority districts and schools granted to parents. These findings yield lessons and questions for teachers regarding practice and how they may be asked to participate in policies that measure its value.

Keywords:

• Teacher evaluation
• parent positionality
• Critical Policy Analysis
• policy implementation
• parental engagement

Notes

1. Due to the sensitive nature of the data being collected, we did not collect demographic information about participants. There were concerns that this data could be used to identify those with dissenting views, we did not collect demographic information about participants.