Making Teachers Better, Not Bitter

Book excerpt: In too many districts, evaluation of teachers ensures competence but does little or nothing to encourage and support expertise. In this thought-provoking and groundbreaking book, Tony Frontier and Paul Mielke address this issue head-on, combining the conceptual and the practical by offering a compelling vision of teacher growth, along with nearly three dozen step-by-step protocols for working with teachers. They present a powerful rationale for reconceptualizing teacher evaluation by creating a balanced system of three equally important components: * Reliable and valid evaluation. * Empowering and focused supervision. * Meaningful and purposeful reflection. Each component is discussed in terms of its purpose, premise, processes, practices, and payoffs. Revealing examples based on the authors’ experiences in classrooms across the country show what evaluation, supervision, and reflection look like when they’re not done well--and what they could look like if done more effectively. Providing insight and inspiration, Making Teachers Better, Not Bitter paves a clear path to better teaching and helps you acknowledge and support the hard work that teachers do every day to make learning come alive for their students.