| Beginning in the mid-1990s, education policies regarding teacher evaluation have been designed under the assumption that increased accountability will result in higher levels of student achievement. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation is the most well-known example of this philosophy at the national level. States around the country have adopted similar mentalities when developing state evaluation requirements. Michigan enacted a series of education reforms from 2009 through 2011 that increased the rigor and frequency of the evaluations that local districts needed to integrate within their evaluation programs. Aspects of the new laws included annual evaluations for all educators, easing of procedural steps to remove ineffective teachers, reduction of tenure protections, merit pay, and student growth being a required component of district models. How teachers in all settings have responded to these new requirements is an important question in assessing their effects on the professional behavior of educators. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of state mandated evaluation requirements on school culture and instructional practices of teachers working in three successful public school districts in Mid-Michigan. The results of the research indicate that new state evaluation laws have generally influenced teachers. Teachers in the successful schools investigated have invested in professional development aimed to increase student assessment results on standardized tests and collaboratively use data to assess the effectiveness of their teaching practices. To a lesser extent, teachers have engaged in practices such as peer observation to improve their own instruction and replicate strategies that might increase student outcomes. |
