Files
Abstract
This study investigates the effectiveness of the new teacher evaluation policies in the U.S. and South Korea to guarantee equal distribution of high-quality teachers. More specifically, the relationships among components of the teacher evaluation systems, teacher effectiveness, and student achievement in the U.S. and South Korea are examined. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationships among all variables, while structural equation modeling was performed to examine the directional relationships among socioeconomic factors, evaluation components, teacher effectiveness, and student achievement in the two countries.As teacher evaluation systems vary across the U.S., the findings regarding the influence of the evaluation components also varied. However, a number of significant relationships between components and student achievement were revealed. One consistent significant finding was that states that effectively place student teachers with highly effective supervising teachers are likely to have higher NAEP scores. Unlike the U.S., South Korea has a national teacher evaluation system that rewards highly effective teachers with a sabbatical and requires ineffective teachers to pursue further training. Results revealed varying significant relationships emphasizing the importance of teachers peers and parents participation and evaluation scores, as well as other inconsistent significant relationships between evaluation consequences (sabbaticals and professional development) and student achievement. Regarding the influence of socioeconomic factors, regions in South Korea with higher enrollment and regional revenue tend to effectively use professional development, while states in the U.S. with higher teacher-student ratios and higher federal revenue tend to effectively use merit pay and professional development, respectively. The comparative analysis focusing only on the two common components (compensation and professional development) of the U.S. and South Korea systems revealed that states in the U.S. effectively using both components tend to have lower student achievement, while student achievement in regions in South Korea with a higher number of teachers receiving sabbaticals and requiring professional development tends to be higher during some years of analysis while lower in others. The results of this in-depth comparative analysis can inform policymakers and researchers on improving teacher evaluation policy with the ultimate goal of addressing the problem of inequitable distribution of high-quality teachers.