Fostering Effective Teaching: No Easy Answers

Date Study Completed

3/2012

Name of Submitting League

LWV of Seattle-King County

Title of Study

Fostering Effective Teaching: No Easy Answers

Summary of Study

In the past few years, teachers have been the focus of efforts to improve and “reform” our educational system. This local and national discussion of teaching was the impetus for the Seattle-King County League to look more closely at teachers and, specifically, to study how teachers are trained and what impact district policies have on their ability to affect student learning.

League or Contact Email Address

info@seattlelwv.org

League or Contact Phone Number

(206) 329-4848

If linked documents: URL(s) of study, position or related documents

http://www.seattlelwv.org/files/2012teacher_study.pdf

Resulting Positions

Support an evaluation system for teachers that includes information from multiple measures of student growth. The measures should reflect the overall performance of the student.

The following criteria should be used in determining a reduction in force caused by budget reductions:

• seniority based on years of experience

• teacher evaluations

• the needs of the school

Support funding for professional development and teacher collaboration time as a priority for improving teacher effectiveness.