Making Evaluation Meaningful

"PJ Caposey has developed a great resource on teacher evaluation that actually provides realistic, encouraging, and supportive guidance instead of an arbitrary checklist!" -- Larry Ferlazzo, Teacher, Author and Education Week Teacher advice blogger "PJ Caposey does it again! He writes with authority, relevance, and passion about a topic often researched and often avoided by practitioners. He shares tips, needed mindset shifts as well as concrete examples of how to maximize the inherent power in the evaluation process. He outlines how to take a process required by law into a meaningful and powerful learning journey for all involved. Caposey masterfully lays out a coherent structure for making evaluation meaningful and for equipping would be evaluators with the "how" and "why" for conducting critical conversations. This compelling manuscript is a must read for graduate students studying to become school leaders and practicing school leaders alike." -- Mike Lubelfeld and Nick Polyak, school superintendents, authors of The Unlearning Leader "Evaluation is an incredibly important and time consuming responsibility for educational leaders. Caposey shares practical methods and notions that will move your evaluation process from good to great. Promoting the success of every student is directly tied to the type of feedback evaluators provide to teachers. Making Evaluation Meaningful will change your mindset and push your school culture in a positive direction." -- Brad Currie, Dean of Students and Supervisor of Instruction "Quality feedback informs and provides practical suggestions for improvement and is pivotal if the goal is to improve teaching and learning. PJ Caposey, through a practitioner lens, has developed an incredible guide that not only helps to demystify the evaluation process, but also provide ready-to- use strategies to ensure reflection and growth are the result. In the end evaluation must be meaningful for both parties. This book will help get you there." -- Eric Sheninger, Author/Consultant, Senior Fellow/Thought Leader "One of the most daunting and frustrating challenges for school leaders is making teacher evaluation count. Implementing a model is not enough. Through practical examples, PJ Caposey has discovered how to do the things school leaders want to do-build on strengths, develop shared meaning, and ultimately improve student learning. These goals are attainable with the principles shared in Making Evaluation Meaningful." -- David Geurin, Graduate Education Professor "PJ Caposey's book Making Evaluation Meaningful is an important read for administrators and teacher evaluators as it addresses the overarching challenges with teacher evaluation, starting with the biggest issue in education, oversimplification. The book seeks to provide solutions that make evaluators more adept at providing teachers with better feedback to ultimately improve the learning culture in a school. Evaluation undoubtedly impacts culture, so the way we approach the process can and will have ripple effects." -- Starr Sackstein, Author "For years, building leaders have been agonizing over teacher evaluations, pouring countless hours into a practice that consistently fails to produce the desired result; more meaningful conversations that produce improved quality instructional practices and increases in student achievement. In his book, Making Evaluation Meaningful, PJ Caposey shares a step by step framework filled with quick & easy to follow "Tips for Tomorrow," as well as detailed examples to help you shift your mindset and behave yourself to a more effective instructional leader. This book will leave you questioning your own evaluation system while at the same time inspiring you to re-commit the time and resources needed to help grow and develop your teachers." -- Jimmy Casas, CEO