A Question of Merit: Principals' and Parents' Evaluations of Teachers

New financial incentive plans to restructure the rewards and professional development in teaching require fair and comprehensive evaluations to determine teacher quality. Some suggest that multiple judges are needed to help correct problems of shallow, partial evaluations. In this article, principals’ and parents’ ratings of the same teachers are compared and school, teacher, and family factors that may influence evaluations are examined. Results suggest that parents and principals emphasize different aspects of teaching in judging teachers' merits. Principals' ratings are influenced by situational factors and the extra work that establishes some teachers' leadership. Parents' ratings are influenced by the connections teachers make with families and the quality of classroom life their children experience. The ratings are not explained by teachers’ education or years of experience, which are currently common criteria for annual salary increases. Although principals’ judgments may be more central, parents can make important contributions in the evaluation of teachers.