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Building Trust in Teacher Evaluations
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Building Trust in Teacher Evaluations
It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it

Foreword by Charlotte Danielson



September 2014 | 144 pages | Corwin

Your breakthrough approach to top-notch teacher evaluations! 

This hands-on professional development guide explores the critical ingredients of communication and trust for success in the new age of teacher evaluation systems. Recognized expert Shelly Arneson provides concrete, proactive strategies to help school leaders:

  • Create and sustain a supportive, honest, and collaborative school culture
  • Foster effective communication and build teacher-principal trust
  • Conduct evidence-based observations and evaluations
  • Hold effective follow-up conversations that nurture teacher growth
  • Promote teacher self-assessment and reflection

Includes absorbing real world vignettes, reflection questions, and ample modeling examples for quick success. Before heading into an observation or post-observation conference you’ll find quick nuggets of wisdom you can reference again and again. Use this informative guide to transform the teacher evaluation process today! 

" An absolute essential for any bookshelf of the novice or seasoned administrator. . . . Really hits home on how trust is essential for effective evaluations. . . . The book covers all angles of why trust and evaluations go hand in hand."
—Jason Eitner, Superintendent
The Lower Alloways Creek School District, Canton Salem, NJ


"In order for student growth to make a positive impact you, as the instructional leader, need to make a positive impact with your teachers; this starts with trust and building a better teacher via evaluations. This book will lead you in that direction!"
—Elizabeth Alvarez, Principal
John C. Dore Elementary School, Chicago, IL



 
Foreword by Charlotte Danielson
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
1. Introduction
 
2. Evaluation Done "With" Teachers, Not "to" Teachers
 
3. Building Teacher Trust and Communication in the Evaluation Process
 
4. Builder 1: Build Relationships, Not an Empire
 
5. Builder 2: Teach the Process
 
6. Builder 3: Communicate Effectively
 
7. Builder 4: It's Not What You Say; It's How You Say It
 
8. Builder 5: Follow-Up With Honesty and Support
 
9. Factors Influencing Trust and Communication
 
10. The Legacy We Leave Behind
 
References
 
Index

"This book should be a staple to every administrator.  An absolute essential for any bookshelf of the novice or seasoned administrator. . . . Really hits home on trust and how trust is essential for effective evaluations and if you really want to do anything with an evaluation. . . . The book covers all angles of why trust and evaluations go hand in hand."

Jason Eitner, Superintendent
The Lower Alloways Creek School District, Canton Salem, NJ

"School personnel—administrators, teachers, and support staff—need to be reminded about the immensely important role that trust and effective communication play in school culture and climate, and this book addresses that point quite well."

Victoria Childs, Assistant Professor
Department of Teacher Education, University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, IL

"As an administrator, we all deal with evaluations every day. This book allows you to begin knowing your teachers but especially knowing yourself as an evaluator. In order for student growth to make a positive impact you, as the instructional leader, need to make a positive impact with your teachers; this starts with trust and building a better teacher via evaluations. This book will lead you in that direction!"

Elizabeth Alvarez, Principal
John C. Dore Elementary School, Chicago, IL

"Dr. Arneson’s research-based Building Trust in Teacher Evaluations is an effective and practical guide for those interested in building trust and creating a more authentic and fertile evaluation environment. Every school leader interested in improved communication and improved teacher performance should read and heed!"

Lee Hale, Principal
Meigs Middle School, Shalimar, FL

"As school districts across our country are developing and implementing new teacher evaluation systems, I found Building Trust in Teacher Evaluations to be a timely, wonderful, and much-needed resource.

 

Dr. Shelly Arneson’s use of personal anecdotes as a teacher, counselor, principal, and consultant, and even as a pet lover, are often shared with humor and so easy to relate to for anyone who is or has ever been involved in the school setting. I found myself endlessly nodding in agreement throughout the chapters. Information based on research is shared in language free of a lot of educational jargon which contributes to the reader-friendliness of this book.

 

If I were still an active assistant superintendent, I would purchase a copy for each administrator in my district and make arrangements for us to do a mandatory book study together. During our book study, we would discuss the value of the principals following suit with their own building-level book studies of Building Trust in Teacher Evaluations.

 

To ensure readers know what to do in order to implement trust-building and communication strategies straightaway, Dr. Arneson’s book provides easy-to-use, common-sense approaches and examples practical to the educational field, especially with our current national prominence on developing and implementing new teacher evaluation systems."

Linda D. Goodwin, Consultant
The Danielson Group, Crosset, AR

"As school leaders stand at the threshold of a world of mandated changes, Dr. Arneson offers real life scenarios and applicable strategies for strengthening trust and communication between school administration and teachers.

 

Dr. Arneson's proactive approach to trust and communication should be explored by all school leaders who are not only focusing on the everyday challenging tasks of a school administrator, but for those administrators who are ready to reflect and strengthen their own practices. 

 

Dr. Arneson's unparalleled and profound insight on trust and communication is a testament for all school leaders to explore."

Michelle Vaughn, Assistant Professor
Mercer University, Henry Regional Academic Center, McDonough, Georgia

"As a teacher leader with over 30 years of experience, I found Chapter 5, “Teach the Process” of Dr. Arneson’s book to be the best advice any district could follow to build solid trust among all stakeholders in communicating the truth about the evaluation process.  If teachers are well-informed participants, they will be actively involved and everyone will learn from one another to advance practices of teaching."

Teresa A. Lien, Instructional Facilitator
Baraboo School District, Baraboo, Wisconsin
Key features

Shelly has recently begun training districts across the country in teacher effectiveness strategies, so she has a wealth of anecdotal stories to share, in which teachers and administrators lament the difficulty of forming that trusting bond in a time when such a bond is a bare necessity for progress. This book, however, will highlight success stories and practical tips on what works in the field.

One of the features of Trust and Communication will be the E-cubed: Effective Evaluation Example, in which a school leader can grab a quick nugget of wisdom before heading into an observation or post-observation conference with a teacher.

Since teacher evaluation is a hot topic at the present time, several other books are available on the topic. William Ribas has a textbook called Teacher Evaluation That Works. While this textbook is designed to help schools re-evaluate their evaluation process, Building Better Teacher Evaluations Through Trust and Communication is much more relationship-oriented, which is the aspect for which school leaders and teachers seem to be clamoring. The partnership that leads to successful evaluations will be the focus of Trust and Communication. Corwin Press has published a book by Barker and Searchwell called Writing Meaningful Teacher Evaluations – Right Now! This is an incredibly important topic, as well, but the focus is more on the written evaluation while Trust and Communication will focus more on the underpinnings of how successful communication about teacher practice will take place. Trust and Communication promises to be a widely used book by school leaders and administrative preparation programs to help change not only practices but the culture of the teacher observation and evaluation process.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1

Foreword and Preface


Purchasing options

For large school/district orders, volume discounts, availability and shipping times contact customer service at 800-233-9936
or order@corwin.com.

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ISBN: 9781483319773
CAD$ 40.95

For large school/district orders, volume discounts, availability and shipping times contact customer service at 800-233-9936
or order@corwin.com.

For instructors

This book is not available as an inspection copy. For more information contact your local sales representative.