District Leaders’ Framing of Educator Evaluation Policy

• Published in: Educational administration quarterly 2016-02, Vol.52 (1), p.110-143
• Main Authors: Woulfin, Sarah L., Donaldson, Morgaen L., Gonzales, Richard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accountability; Administrator Attitudes; Administrator Role; Connecticut; Education policy; Educational Change; Educational leadership; Educational Policy; Elementary Education; Elementary Schools; Faculty Development; Information Dissemination; Instructional Leadership; Interviews; Leaders; Organizational Communication; Policy Formation; Principals; Program Implementation; Qualitative Research; School Districts; School principals; State Policy; Superintendents; Teacher Evaluation; Teacher evaluations; Teacher Improvement
• ISSN: 0013-161X; 1552-3519
• DOI: 10.1177/0013161X15616661

Purpose: Educator evaluation systems have recently undergone scrutiny and reform, and district and school leaders play a key role in interpreting and enacting these systems. This article uses framing theory to understand district leaders’ interpretation and advancement of a state’s new educator evaluation policy. Research Methods: The article draws on qualitative data from 14 Connecticut districts to highlight the relationship between state policy, district leadership, and the ideas about educator evaluation making their way into schools. We employed frame analysis to systematically analyze interview data from district leaders responsible for evaluation reform. Findings: District leaders’ frames addressed two distinct elements of the evaluation policy: accountability and development. Overall, district leaders tended to emphasize the accountability aspects of the state’s new evaluation system—SEED (System for Educator Evaluation and Development). Second, we find that district leaders’ frames predominately issued solutions and advice regarding the implementation of the evaluation policy. These leaders rarely enforced their framing of SEED. Finally, we present a vignette to highlight how one elementary school principal encountered frames within his district context and elected to respond to the ideas and rules of the new evaluation system. Implications for Research and Practice: This article’s findings encourage additional research on the role of district leaders in translating state policy into school-level change. This article also highlights the need for district-level actors to have a deep understanding of current policy as well as the skills to frame policy messages to diverse audiences.