Teachers for the 21st Century: Using Evaluation to Improve Teaching

In education circles there is a growing recognition that the quality of teaching affects student learning. In many countries, however, the concept ?not to mention the use ?of teacher appraisals sparks discussion whenever it is mentioned. According to what criteria? Who decides? And what should the results of teacher appraisals be used for? But education stakeholders are beginning to find some agreement with the idea that appraisals can be a key lever for focusing more on teaching quality and continuous professional development for teachers.

This book summarizes the findings on teacher appraisals presented at the third International Summit on the Teaching Profession. Hosted by the Netherlands, the OECD, and Education International, the summit brought together education ministers, union leaders, and other teacher leaders from high-performing and rapidly improving education systems to discuss how teacher quality is defined and measured. The book explores how standards are set, and by whom, what systems are in place for teacher evaluation, and how evaluations are conducted. It also reveals how teacher evaluation contributes to school improvement and teacher self-efficacy.