Drawing from a unique combination of datasets, Allison Atteberry will explore the effects of changes in teacher evaluation policies with support from a .
Announced today, only 30 early career scholars working in critical areas of education research nationwide聽have been聽selected out of roughly 300 applicants聽for the competitive聽NAEd/Spencer fellowship program. The聽fellows will receive聽$70,000 for a period of up to two years to聽support research proposals that make significant scholarly contributions to the field of education. The program also provides support for recipients through professional development activities with senior academy members.
Atteberry is assistant professor of education in the Research and Evaluation Methodology program. She will combine multiple data sources 鈥� National Council on Teacher Quality teacher evaluation policy reports, the Stanford Education Data Archive, and the School and Staffing Survey 鈥� to link state-year variation in evaluation policies to outcomes that, theory suggests, should be responsive to these policy changes.
Stimulated by Race to the Top initiatives, the majority of states have revised their teacher evaluation policies over the past ten years. Yet, there have been conflicting theories about whether making these policies more stringent would positively or negatively affect the teacher workforce and student outcomes. Findings are mixed due to differences in settings and methods, Atteberry says. Her work will create a national picture of whether changes in state-level teacher evaluation policies are associated with concurrent changes in: student achievement, achievement gaps, teacher job satisfaction, and teacher retention.聽
"The NAEd/Spencer Fellowship Programs not only promote important research, but also help to develop the careers of scholars who demonstrate great promise for making significant contributions to education," said聽NAEd President Michael Feuer.