The best evidence syntheses (BESs) bring together research evidence about ‘what works’ for diverse (all) learners in education. Recent BESs each include a number of cases that describe actual examples of professional practice and then analyse the findings. These cases support educators to grasp the big ideas behind effective practice at the same time as they provide vivid insight into their application.
This case demonstrates how school leaders can support the improvement of teaching and learning by ensuring that appraisal focuses on the teaching–learning relationship.
The research in this case involved year 1–8 students in 28 schools. The researcher found that, during appraisal, teachers want to talk about the impact of their teaching on learning. Leaders can support teachers to do this by: ensuring that appraisal goals are linked to student learning and achievement (not just teaching); reinforcing the link between teaching and learning in all appraisal-related documents (such as policies, performance indicators, and templates); and leading evidence-based conversations with teachers.