Elementary administrators and teachers' perceptions of the teacher evaluation process in California's public schools

This quantitative study examined administrators and teachers' perceptions of the teacher evaluation process in California's elementary public schools. It investigated problematic areas---standards and practices along with measures of satisfaction, the influence of Collective Bargaining, and the extent to which current evaluation practices impact classroom instruction and student achievement. Specific survey instrument questions framing standards for the evaluation of educational personnel and indicators of satisfaction were developed. Invitations to complete an online survey questionnaire were distributed to all K--12 school districts throughout California. One thousand and twenty-three responses were received from K--12 site principals, assistant principals, deans, teachers, and other administrators were disaggregated into elementary, middle, and high school levels. This study evaluated the elementary findings and compared them to the K--12 totals.;Descriptive statistics, reliability analyses, ANOVAs, and multiple comparisons provided meaningful data for responses to dependent variables and specific survey items. The independent variables of district size, Academic Performance Index (API) scores, and years of experience framed twelve research questions. Findings from one open-ended response indicated considerable opinions regarding the teacher evaluation process, the impact of Collective Bargaining, administrative training issues, the impact of evaluations on teacher practices, the need for differentiated evaluation instruments for beginning and experienced teachers, a preference for alternative evaluation methods, the use of student achievement and input, and perceptions of value-added measures.;A review of current literature indicated that teacher evaluation has the potential of greatly influencing classroom practices and student achievement. This quantitative study documented the perceptions of California's public elementary administrators and teachers' perceptions of the teacher evaluation process. This study noted perceptions of the timeliness of feedback, the adequacy of evaluator training and resources, and degree to which evaluations were linked to opportunities for professional development and other local support services, among others. Specific recommendations were developed, while implications for further research were established. This study concluded that this considerable quantitative data could provide the basis for improving the efficacy of the teacher evaluation process in California's public elementary schools with implications for K--12 public schools, as well.