By: Carlos A. Rivera
The intention of this research is to add building blocks to the bridge of knowledge administrators need to cross to understand the arts. The current study provides principals, assistant principals and other faculty members who give feedback to arts teachers with an insight on what they are doing and on how they could improve their practices. This feedback to administrators comes from data collected from arts educators in New York City in the form of a survey. This data looks at the arts teachers perspective on how they interpret the yearly evaluation system they undergo in the educational system.
Most administrators would agree that it is imperative for them to understand every component of the schools they manage. They would also concur with the belief that every subject is crucial for the growth of a child. However, sometimes the actions of those in charge do not reflect this thinking. Taking this into account, there are many administrators who have difficulties understanding what and why the arts are supposed to do and how they are supposed to achieve this. As previously stated, the aim of this research is to explore how the arts educators describe the way they are evaluated by administration and attempts to provide a starting point for an open dialogue between administrators and arts educators
Since local teacher evaluation systems are created to measure the quality of teaching and learning taking place in the classroom (Darling-Hammond, 2012), administrators must realize the damage these systems can cause to the arts if not utilized properly. To advance the arts, principals need to determine clear expectations for the arts in their schools. Based on the finds up to this point, clear expectations and transparent communication between educator and supervisor can improve teacher satisfaction. With this in mind, an instructor’s level of job satisfaction significantly influences the learning and teaching that takes place in the classroom (Boyd et al., 2011).
