Teacher self -evaluation and its effect on professional growth and teacher -principal relationship

With the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, staff development and the need for ongoing teacher training affects every school's professional development plan. The purpose of this study was to identify the various areas of education that the teacher self-evaluation process affected and to determine the overall effect on teacher's professional growth.;This study was designed to explore the affect of teachers using a self-evaluation process on the teacher's professional development. The study was also designed to investigate the affect on the relationship between the teacher and their building principal.;The researcher used a qualitative research design. Interview data and growth plans were collected from fourteen elementary teachers and ten junior high teachers. The researcher used in-depth interviews to collect the data.;To triangulate the efforts of the data, a focus group was used. The focus group was designed after the researcher had identified emerging themes and checked the themes with those previously interviewed. The focus group included six members of the twenty-four that had previously been interviewed, three elementary teachers and three junior high teachers.;The study's data indicated that teachers using the self-evaluation process were aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and sought out knowledge to improve their teaching skills. The process increased the work or contact they had with their administrators.;The study concluded that self-evaluation does affect teacher's professional growth and the relationship between teachers and their building principal. Recommendations were provided by teachers concerning ways to improve the self-evaluation process and the role of their principal in the process.;The study was designed to use qualitative methods. After examining the findings and developing conclusions, the study identified a question for future research studies. A future research study could include quantitative research methods.;This research has implications for both professional development programs and district's teacher evaluation programs.