LAUREN HERMANN

THE ART OF
UNDERSTANDING
EVALUATIVE
INTERACTIONS
 LAUREN HERMANN

01

*  HOW DID WE GET HERE?

PROBLEM & -NCLB

-RACE TO THE TOP

PURPOSE -ESSA-STATE GIVES DISTRICTS LOCAL CONTROL

*  WHAT IS EVALUATION FOR

-MEASURE TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS
-SHOW STUDENT GROWTH
-PROVIDE TARGETED FEEDBACK AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

* INVESTIGATE THE PREPARATION OF CURRENT BUILDING PRINCIPALS IN THEIR

EVALUATION OF ARTS EDUCATORS. 
 LAUREN HERMANN

PROBLEM
02
SIGNIFICANCE

*  THE MIZZOU STUDY

*  PERSONAL EXPERIENCE BOTH AS AN EDUCATOR

AND ADMINISTRATIVE INTERN

*  NAEA AGENDA 

*  LITTLE RESEARCH SPECIFICALLY TO ART

EDUCATION
 LAUREN HERMANN

RESEARCH
QUESTIONS 03
1 2 3
HOW CAN CURRENT WHAT STRATEGIES CAN WHAT CHANGES MIGHT
BUILDING PRINCIPALS BE STATE AGENCIES AND WE SEE IN TARGETED
BETTER PREPARED TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS FEEDBACK AND TEACHER
EVALUATE ARTS IMPLEMENT TO MORE SATISFACTION IF
EDUCATORS? EFFECTIVELY EVALUATE BUILDING PRINCIPALS
ART EDUCATORS? ARE BETTER PREPARED
TO EVALUATE ARTS
EDUCATORS?
 LAUREN HERMANN

DEFINITION OF
04
TERMS

EFFECTIVE EVALUATION: A PROCESS OF

EVALUATING EDUCATORS WHICH MAKES
DETERMINATIONS ABOUT AN EDUCATORS
PERFORMANCE USING RESEARCH BASED
EXPECTATIONS AND TARGETS.

TARGETED FEEDBACK: POST EVALUATIVE

FEEDBACK THAT IS DIRECT, STRENGTHS BASED
AND LINKS TO TEACHER CREATED
IMPROVEMENT OR PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT GOALS.

STRENGTHS BASED: FEEDBACK THAT FOCUSES

ON AN EDUCATORS STRENGTHS AND CALLS ON
THOSE STRENGTHS TO CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVE.
PERCEIVED WEAKNESS IS ATTRIBUTED TO A GAP
IN SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE AND NOT ON TALENT.
 LAUREN HERMANN

Interpretivist Paradigm

* Relativist ontology makes the assumption that there

are multiple realities constructed through meaning
and understanding which we develop within our
ASSUMPTIONS & social constructs and through our experiences.

LIMITATIONS * an epistemological assumption is also made in that

we cannot separate ourselves from what we know.  

* researchers' values are inherent in all phases of the

research process.  

Design Limitations: Time, school evaluation

schedules, population sample

Impact Limitation:  Due to the variance

evaluation systems from state to state and
even from district to district, it might be
difficult to have a strong impact over a

05
regional audience.
 LAUREN HERMANN

LITERATURE
REVIEW 06
The literature exists at a generalized level with regards to
preparation for building principals and teacher evaluation.
Much of the literature focuses on principal preparation
programs and the little that does focus on art educators
looks from the perspective of federal policy and calls for
more research.

Best Practice research is limited and within the limited

scope focuses on Race to the Top schools which may not
be representative of best practices and instead more
exploratory.

The final research question is an attempt to get at the why

of the Mizzou study and to consider how experiences
change when both parties are collaborating together. As
the Mizzou study was quantitative ,it did not discuss the
experiences themselves.
 LAUREN HERMANN

THEORETICAL
FRAMEWORK
07
SITUATED LEARNING
THEORY
* LEARNING IS SITUATED AND OCCURS
WITHIN CERTAIN CONTEXTS,
ACTIVITIES AND CULTURES

* LEARNING HAS A SOCIAL

COMPONENT WHERE LEARNERS
COLLABORATE TO BUILD
UNDERSTANDINGS AND BECOME A
PART OF A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE.
 LAUREN HERMANN

08

* BASIC QUALITATIVE STUDY: BELIEF THAT PEOPLE CONSTRUCT KNOWLEDGE AS

RESEARCH THEY ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCES THROUGH WHICH THEY MAKE
MEANING

DESIGN *MERRIAM & TISDALE "CENTRAL CHARACTERISTIC OF ALL QUALITATIVE

RESEARCH IS THAT INDIVIDUALS CONSTRUCT REALITY IN INTERACTION WITH
THEIR SOCIAL WORLDS”
 09 Data Collection

Interviews Observations Artifacts

Artifacts which could provide

Semistructured interview 2-3 observation cycles between
additional data could include
conducted with a question principal/teacher pairs. Could be
past evaluation documents,
guide. Questions would be video documentation of
district and state evaluation
flexible and not evaluation
policies, any district/building
ordered allowing for more
professional development
conversation.
documents on evaluation

The sampling strategy will be a maximum

variation or heterogeneous sample.
 LAUREN HERMANN

10
DATA
ANALYSIS

DATA ANALYSIS WILL TAKE PLACE THROUGH

ANALYTICAL MEMOS OF THE INTERVIEW
TRANSCRIPTIONS AND THROUGH EMERGENT
CODING WHICH WILL RESULT IN IDENTIFYING
PATTERNS WHICH MAY BE RECURRING. 
 LAUREN HERMANN

11
PERMISSIONS AND
PROTECTION OF HUMAN
RIGHTS

My positionality within the field of art education makes it essential

that my biases, assumptions and beliefs are transparent
throughout the process.  Additionally, ensuring the confidentiality
of participants was of utmost importance as these relationships
were essential in uncovering information that was sometimes
difficult to discuss.   Moreover, observations were conducted with
respect to the personal spaces of the participants and their
students.

* The main purpose of the IRB is to protect the welfare of

human subjects

* Evaluations are often times tied to personnel decisions

and in this light, as a researcher, one needs to be
concerned with the effect this may have
 LAUREN HERMANN

12

* FILL A GAP IN THE LITERATURE ON BUILDING PRINCIPALS ABILITIES TO

POSSIBLE EFFECTIVELY AND ACCURATELY EVALUATE ARTS EDUCATORS.

FINDINGS * THROUGH BETTER UNDERSTANDING EVALUATION PROCESSES, THERE CAN BE

AN EFFORT MADE TO TARGET PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO BUILDING
ADMINISTRATORS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY WORK WITH THEIR VISUAL ARTS
EDUCATORS.

* DEVELOP CYCLES OF FEEDBACK THAT ARE BENEFICIAL AND LEAD TO

PURPOSEFUL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE TEACHER AND A BETTER
PICTURE OF WHAT EFFECTIVE ART TEACHING LOOKS LIKE.
 THANK YOU!
References
Bergin, C., Wind, S., Grajeda, S., & Tsai, C. (2017). Teacher evaluation: Are principals' classroom observations
accurate at the conclusion of training? Studies in Educational Evalauation, 19-25. Retrieved from
http://dx.doi/org/210.1016/j.stueduc.2017.05.002

Colorado Department of Education. (2015, 1). Practical ideas for evaluating teachers of the arts. Retrieved June 15,
2018, from http://www.cde.state.co.us/educatoreffectiveness/resourceguideteacherpp

Gates, K., Hansen, D., & Tuttle, L. (2015). Teacher evaluation in the arts disciplines: Three state perspectives. Arts
Education Policy Review, (116), 162-175.

Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation.

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2013, July). Evaluator training. Retrieved June 15,
2018, from https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/EvaluatorTraining-July2013.pdf

National Art Education Association. (2004, March 10). NAEA research agenda. Retrieved from
https://www.arteducators.org/research/articles/168-naea-research-agenda

Reform Support Network-U.S Department of Education. (2015, July). Using observations to improve teacher practice.
Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/implementation-support-unit/tech-
assist/usingobservationstoImproveteacherpractice.pdf

Rosen, R., & Parise, L. (2017). Using evaluation systems for teacher improvement. Retrieved from MDRC website:
https://www.mdrc.org/publication/using-evaluation-systems-teacher-improvement

Shaw, R. (2016). Arts teacher evaluation: How did we get here? Arts Education Policy Review, 117(1), 1-12.