Principals' Perceptions about the Impact of the New York State Annual Professional Performance Review Legislation on the Instructional Practices of New York Public Schools PDF Download

Author: Maureen R. Futscher
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : School principals
Languages : en
Pages : 113

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Book Description
There is substantial research on school reform efforts focused on programs and curriculum. The same cannot be said with regard to the evaluation of teachers and principals. Current reform efforts are pointed in that direction. Through Race to the Top (RTTT), a competitive grant, the federal government offered funding to states willing to conduct statewide school improvement initiatives. The goal of Race to the Top is to improve student achievement through effective teachers and leaders. New York State applied for, and was granted RTTT money to work on the Regents Reform Agenda. This gave rise to the New York Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) mandate, which is focused on the evaluation of teachers and principals. This exploratory study surveyed public school principals across the state to determine the extent they perceived the new APPR would improve instructional practices in their schools. Results suggest that most principals believe APPR will have a positive impact on instructional practices to some extent. Demographic characteristics, past and present evaluation practices, teacher practice rubrics and professional development were investigated to examine associations with principals' perceptions. The data revealed that variables from each of the four areas were significantly associated with principals' perceptions. The ability to provide specific feedback to teachers and a focus on student performance data were identified as the strongest contributors to principals' perceptions. This research was conducted in the first year of full implementation of the APPR mandate which provides baseline data for subsequent research. The findings may be useful for district leaders and policy makers when reviewing the implementation process. The data may provide insight for systems leaders to investigate and identify needs for additional support in their districts.