Should We Evaluate Teachers?

Spain is one of the OECD countries where teachers are least evaluated. Supporters of introducing an evaluation system believe that accountability would improve educational quality.

A sector of teachers warns, for their part, that they already bear a great bureaucratic burden, that a control of this type could increase. We remain anchored in the false belief that evaluation is the same as grading and we lose sight of the fact that evaluation is a learning tool.

Permanent teacher training

Society is constantly changing and therefore the educational institution as well. This new way of educating also requires a renewal by the teaching profession and, therefore, a paradigm shift of new professional skills within the framework of pedagogical, scientific and cultural knowledge.

The social context is becoming increasingly important and education professionals have to be able to adapt to it. Change methodologies and not treat knowledge as finished, but rather as knowledge under construction and not immutable. For this to be possible, the importance of permanent teacher education must be demanded.

Characteristics of a good teacher

When the results of the students are bad, they are the culprits: because they work little, because they have everything very easy. If we want to offer the best education to students, the key is to have good teachers. Teachers who believe in improving the quality of teaching and who work to offer children the best of themselves.

They are those that generate meaningful learning in their students. They collaborate with their fellow staff members, get involved in the center and work with the families.

They are able to mobilize all the resources at their disposal to provide comprehensive support to their students, working and collaborating with the community. They are learning guides, fostering critical thinking and adapting to the needs of all their students.

How to evaluate teachers?

Some key points to keep in mind could be the following:

• Through the achievements made by the student.
• With the help of standardized instruments that measure teaching ability.
• Through the opinion of the students.
• Based on the opinion of teachers (self-evaluation and peer evaluation).
• With the opinion of supervisors, principals and other educational authorities.

Evaluation is key to educational improvement

Teachers have to be the best professionals; not only by vocation, but by professionalism. In this sense, although there are no miracle educational recipes for all teachers or for all students, the quality of teaching should be evaluated.

An evaluation should be seen as an opportunity to record areas for improvement, to guide new teachers and to continue motivating those who already have experience. Not only must the faculty be evaluated, but the data obtained by courses and at the school-wide scale must be analyzed to find the strengths of the center and areas for improvement. We cannot hold the faculty fully responsible for school failure or success.