Evaluating the new teacher evaluation system in South Korea: Case studies of successful implementation, adaptation, and transformation of mandated policy

Abstract

Central to improving the quality of education is developing a teacher evaluation system that promotes teachers’ professional growth, the improvement of student learning, and educational equality for all students regardless of social factors such as socio-economic status, educational environment, race, and gender. To address these issues in South Korea and to respond to pressure from parents, educators, and policymakers, a new national teacher evaluation system was implemented in 2011. This paper briefly describes the evolution of the teacher evaluation system in South Korea and analyzes the newly developed mechanism by which teachers are evaluated. The new evaluation system resulted in a backlash from teachers and debate among educational stakeholders, including parents, educators, and policymakers. Both the support of and opposition to the new policy are discussed. Although the new evaluation system has not been viewed as effective in all schools, several cases of schools that have had success under the new system are examined to determine the factors that led to their success. This article argues that the teacher evaluation system consisting of fair and reliable components that measure teachers’ performance and support professional development can be an effective means of ensuring high-quality teaching, which, in turn, can positively impact student achievement. However, based on an examination of the case studies presented and grounded in the theoretical perspective on accountability proposed by Thorn and Harris, this study asserts that for the evaluation system to be successful in each school, accountability, necessary modification, and mutual adaptation are required. Implications for policymakers, researchers, and politicians are provided.

Évaluation des enseignants permanents du secondaire au Québec : quelle démarche préconiser selon des enseignants et des directeurs d’école ?

“…L' évaluation des enseignants est aussi un sujet largement discuté dans la littérature scientifique (Abernot, 2009). De nombreux travaux de recherche (Adams et al, 2015;Danielson, 2012;Hattie et Clinton, 2010;Kaufman, Engberg, Hamilton, Yuan et Hill, 2019;Koedel, Li, Springer et Tan, 2019;Papay, 2012;Robinson, 2019;Taut, Jiménez, Puente-Duran, Palacios, Godoy et Jorge Manzi;2019;Yoo, 2018) se sont intéressés aux différents modèles d' évaluation existants afin de dégager les modalités les plus efficaces. D'autres études ont plutôt souhaité identifier les impacts sur les enseignants et leur enseignement (Derrington et Martinez, 2019;Ford, 2018;Holloway, 2019a;Holloway, 2019b;Kettler et Reddy, 2019;Paufler, 2018) ainsi que sur la réussite scolaire des élèves (OCDE, 2013).…”