NJ Spotlight published the following article on March 3, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
FINE PRINT: TEACHER-TENURE LAW WILL TAKE MORE OF SUPERVISORS’ TIME, STUDY FINDS
Title: “The Opportunity Costs of Teacher Evaluation – A Labor and Equity Analysis of TEACHNJ Legislation”
Researchers: Douglas Larkin, assistant professor in Montclair State University’s Department of Secondary and Special Education, and Joseph Oluwole, associate professor of education law in MSU’s Department of Counseling and Educational Leadership.
What it is: New research by two Montclair State University professors found that New Jersey’s school administrators will need to spend at least 35 percent more time observing teachers under the state’s new teacher-tenure law, known as TEACHNJ. The study measured the minimum requirements for classroom observations under the new law and matched it to the number of applicable administrators and teachers in each district in the state.
What it means: The study provides some of the first hard numbers on the increased hours being required under the new law, long a point of contention for school district officials who contend the state has done little to help them implement the teacher-evaluation changes.
The researchers stress that with the increased responsibilities in teacher evaluations, administrators’ other responsibilities have not much changed. Still, by one researchers’ own admission, the study is purely a look at the rawest data, and further study is needed to determine what impact there will be on administrators’ and teachers’ overall workload.