Teachers stand at the intersection of educational goals, directing students down the road to success or to the byways of diminished opportunities. They are the most important school variable effecting student achievement. Consequently, placing and retaining only qualified and effective teachers in our nations classrooms is a critical responsibility of school leaders.



Effective supervision and evaluation requires that the school leader possess the knowledge of effective instruction, exhibit skills in documentation of professional conduct, and embrace a professional approach with the will to place and keep students at the center of school policy and practice decisions. Supervising and evaluating teachers is a difficult, but essential work. Research shows that time and expertise are necessary to effectively supervise and to build a case for adverse employment decisions, when necessary.



Threading the Evaluation Needle: The Documentation of Teacher Unprofessional Conductaddresses the legal and professional knowledge that structures discipline and dismissal in the public schools. The authors, based on their educational, legal, and research experience, provide templates for various types of documentation necessary to effectively build a case for discipline. This book seeks to give principals the tools and knowledge to institute in good faith a fair and accurate documentation system.

Todd A. DeMitchell, John& H. Irene Peters Professor of Education, served as a teacher and administrator in the public schools for 18 years. During his 30 years at the University of New Hampshire he has studied, taught, and consulted on school law and labor relations including the implementation of documentation systems.



Mark A Paige, Associate Professor of Public Policy, has numerous positions in education, ranging from the classroom to the courtroom. He began his career in education as an elementary school teacher. He later served as an education law attorney, representing school districts in New England on labor relations, employment law, special education, and other matters. He now teaches school law, school finance, and education policy at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.

Preface: Who Shall Teach Our Children?

Chapter 1: Evaluation and the Documentation Challenge

Chapter 2: The Evaluation of Teachers

Chapter 3: The Principal as Evaluator

Chapter 4: Legal Frameworks: Infusing the Evaluation with Fairness

Chapter 5: The Five Fatal Eyes of Unprofessional Conduct

Chapter 6: Files, Memos, and Documentation

Chapter 7: Conclusion and the Ten Commandments of Documentation

Appendix A - InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning

Progressions for Teachers

Appendix B Personnel Evaluation Standards

Appendix C Examples of Causes and Evidence for Dismissal/Discipline

Appendix D The Bologna Sandwich Technique

Appendix E Negligent Hiring: Did We Hire the Wrong Person?

Appendix F: Table of Cases

About the Authors