Historical Perspective on Supervision

Early Days of Supervision

Jan 1, 1700

In the 1700s, education was not considered a professional career. The U.S. towns people began turning to local governments or clergy, to hire teachers and make decisions regarding teaching.

Democracy

Mar 30, 1800

John Dewey pioneered the idea of student-centered education and differentiation. He was a proponent of bridging the gap between students' passive role as learners and the active role as citizens (Marzano, 2011).

Supervision begins to focus on Instruction

Jun 1, 1800

The mid-1800s brought about a different view of teaching. It was thought to be a complex profession that required feedback and supervision in order to become an expert in the field of education.

Scientific Measurement

Mar 30, 1890

Frederick Taylor believed that measurement of specific behaviors of factory workers was perhaps the most powerful means to improve production. Taylor's principles also began to have an impact on K–12 education (Marzano, 2011).

Edward Thorndike & Ellwood Cubberley

Mar 30, 1916

Thorndike and Cubberley fashioned their idea of school after factories and the prodcut that is produced are the children who are being taught. They believed that behaviors that were observed in factories could easily be transferred to the classroom and supervision of teachers and students would be modeled after factory employers and employees that would meet the demands of real life.

Principles for Administrators

Mar 30, 1929

Cubberley laid out a set of principles for school administrators that emphasized measurement and analysis of data to ensure that teachers and schools were productive (Marzano, 2011).

Measures of Student Learning

Apr 30, 1929

William Wetzel (1929) proposed using measures of student learning to determine the effectiveness of a teacher or school. He recommended three components as the basis for scientific supervision: the use of aptitude tests to determine the ability level of each child; the establishment of clear, measurable objectives for each course; and the use of reliable measures of student learning (Marzano, 2011).

Standardized Testing

Mar 30, 1930

Influenced by the theories from Cubberley and Wetzel the focus became more centered around standardized testing.

Post WWII

Jan 30, 1946

A shift in focus to the teacher as an individual and an emphasis on supporting the teacher to develop his or her skills, while nurturing his or her emotional needs. Elsie Coleman (1945) stated that "the first fundamental in understanding the teacher is … that the teacher is a person, different from every other person, living in an environment which affects and in turn is affected by that person"

Teacher as Individual

Mar 30, 1946

Swearingen (1946) described the role of the supervisor as managing the curriculum, personnel, the teaching/learning paradigm, the emotional/social quality of the classroom, resources, and other functions of the school. This began the swing to a new focus on the teacher as an individual and not just a piece of the educational puzzle.

Instructional Supervision

Mar 30, 1950

William Melchoir (1950) defined supervision as meetings with teachers and managing the faculty and facility rather than focusing on instruction and curriculum.

Effective Instruction

Mar 30, 1969

Goldhammer's view of supervision and instruction morphed into more interaction between the teacher and student related to student learning. Golhammer did not have a strong foundation for effective instruction, it was too subjective.

Clinical Supervision

Mar 30, 1970

The majority of teachers have a personal idea of what makes a good teacher. When teachers become supervisors, these personal preferences generally guide their decision making and evaluation of educators.

The Hunter Model

Mar 31, 1980

Observation and script taping were critical components of Hunter's process of supervision. Supervisors conferred with teachers. Supervisors determined the effectiveness of observed lessons in terms of alignment to the model (Marzano, 2011).

Differentiated Approach to Supervision

Mar 31, 1998

Carl Glickman stated, "By understanding how teachers grow optimally in a supportive and challenging environment, the supervisor can plan the tasks of supervision to bring together organizational goals and teacher needs into a single fluid entity" (Marzano, 2011).

Beginning of the 21st Century

Mar 31, 2008

Education has shifted from supervision to evaluation of teachers. Evaluation systems determine teacher effectiveness using evidence from student gains in learning as well as observations of classroom instruction (Marzano, 2011). Tucker and Stronge stated: "Given the clear and undeniable link that exists between teacher effectiveness and student learning, we support the use of student achievement information in teacher assessment..."

Teacher Evaluations

Mar 31, 2011

Evaluations are short and infrequent (most are based on two or fewer classroom observations totaling 60 minutes or less), conducted by untrained administrators, and influenced by powerful cultural forces—in particular, an expectation among teachers that they will be among the vast majority rated as top performers (Marzano, 2011).

Colorado Department of Education

Mar 31, 2012

Colorado has recently passed Senate Bill 191 which solely focuses on educator effectiveness. As an instructional coach, part of my job is to help teachers meet the requirements to be evaluated as an effective teacher. The rubric encourages professional development, teacher improvement, and student adequate yearly growth. This is Colorado's shift in supervision and teacher evaluation.