Central Florida Educational Leaders' Professional Perceptions of Race to the Top Components Concerning Teacher Evaluation and Compensation

This mixed-methods replication study was conducted to develop further understanding of the professional perceptions of educational leaders as to the fairness and impact of Race to the Top reforms concerning teacher evaluation and compensation on student achievement and growth. Graduate students in education and educational leadership from a target university were selected to complete an electronic survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data for analysis. Quantitative results from the electronic survey revealed limited diversity in professional perceptions of the five identified components of RTTT based upon professional classification or percentage free and reduced lunch population at the school sites where assigned. Among the identified RTTT components, the component that provided for the use of school- or team-level VAM scores as part of the evaluation and compensation system was consistently viewed as the least fair and least impactful by respondents. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed a number of themes that effected respondents' professional perceptions of the RTTT initiative. The use of a value-added model in RTTT reforms, the variables considered by the model, and communication and implementation problems associated with the reforms were the central areas of concern among survey respondents. This study provided follow-up data to Windish's 2012 study and showed a negative general trajectory of the professional perceptions of educational leaders related to this high-profile, national educational reform effort.

Author dc:creator

• Smith, Orin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Taylor, Rosemarye

• Educational reform
• race to the top
• teacher evaluation and compensation reform
• student achievement and growth
• poverty and learning
• Education

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

CFE0005716

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:etd-2180