Feedback is an essential component of professional growth, and teacher evaluation has changed in most places across the US over the last 15 years. What do we actually know about how those changes impacted school performance?
Later, we read a study that showed retrieval practice is only beneficial when we have working memory resources to devote to the process. We reflect on what this means for students who may be stressed or otherwise not able to allocate those resources.
- First Segment – 02:20 – Success or Failure of Teacher Evaluation Reforms
- Second Segment – 20:01 – Retrieval Practice and Working Memory Resources
Primary Citations
- Di Carlo, M. (2023). The Rise and Fall of the Teacher Evaluation Reform Empire. Shanker Blog; Albert Shanker Institute. https://www.shankerinstitute.org/blog/rise-and-fall-teacher-evaluation-reform-empire
- Bleiberg, J., Brunner, E., Harbatkin, E., Kraft, M. A., & Springer, M. G. (2023). Taking teacher evaluation to scale: The effect of state reforms on achievement and attainment (No. w30995). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w30995
- Zheng, Y., Sun, P. & Liu, X.L. Retrieval practice is costly and is beneficial only when working memory capacity is abundant. npj Sci. Learn. 8, 8 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-023-00159-w
Supplemental Citations
- Collaborative Autonomy: Exploring the Professional Freedom of Three Science Teachers (Ralph, 2020)
- Simulating a Glass Escalator: In Silico Modeling of Measurement Bias in Teacher Evaluations (Ralph, 2022)
- Time to Pay Up: Analyzing the Motivational Potential of Financial Awards in a TIF Program (Rice, 2015)
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- Thinking Fast and Slow (Kakneman, 2011)
- The effect of testing versus restudy on retention: A meta-analytic review of the testing effect. (Rowland, 2014)
Featured Beverage
We drink Ginger Snap Darkness, a Russian imperial stout from Surly Brewing Co. in Minneapolis, MN.