Teachers in High-Poverty Schools Unfairly Penalized

A recent study finds teachers in high-poverty schools are unfairly penalized on classroom observations.

In a recent article, EducationWeek reports on a study which found the typical Black teacher in Chicago ranked at the 37^th percentile in classroom observation scores, while the typical white teacher ranked at the 55^th percentile. However, once researchers controlled for school and classroom factors such as student poverty, behavioral infractions, and prior year test scores, the gap disappeared.

When teachers in high-poverty schools are marked down for factors out of their control, teachers could leave the school, or the profession entirely, having a negative effect on diversity. The data shows that Black teachers are not lower quality than non-Black teachers, they are just more likely to teach in higher-poverty schools.

Lauren Sartain, assistant professor of education at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and co-author of the report, notes, “Principals and teachers really value classroom observations as a way to get feedback on their practice. People tend to think [the observation rubric] provides a pretty good definition of what good teaching looks like.” Based on the findings of the study, Sartain goes on to question whether the rubric’s distinguished ratings are even attainable for teachers in high-poverty schools.

Other important findings in the study include:

• White teachers who work in high-poverty schools are just as likely to receive penalties in their classroom observations.
• Instructional methods used in high-poverty schools often conflict with what evaluators are trained to look for.
• Evaluation scores can determine promotion, tenure, and pay bonuses. They can also lead to performance-related layoffs or a teacher deciding the profession isn’t for them.

The study’s authors suggest making observations more equitable by making statistical adjustments to control for differences across schools and classrooms. Finding a fair way to observe teachers in all settings may be especially important this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

For more information on the topic, check out Teachers in High-Poverty Schools Penalized Unfairly on Observations, Study Says.