Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter, which includes insights, updates, and recommended reads from the Carnegie Foundation.

Adding Eyes: The Rise, Rewards, and Risks of Multi-Rater Teacher Observation Systems

December 2014 | Written by Taylor White

State and local policymakers are starting to replace the often-cursory teacher observations of the past with more comprehensive and meaningful practices. But as these new systems roll out, there is mounting evidence that principals alone can’t manage the burdens they impose. In response, a number of districts are using multiple raters to observe and judge teacher performance.  This report looks at the design, implementation, and challenges of multi-rater systems in 16 districts.

This is the second in a series of reports on issues emerging from new teacher evaluation systems in states and school districts. Read the first brief, Evaluating Teachers More Strategically: Using Performance Results to Streamline Evaluation Systems.

You Might Like

Carnegie Foundation and ETS Release Skills Progressions for Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking 

Read more

Why Opportunity Colleges and Universities Matter

Read more

Why Opportunity Colleges and Universities Matter

Read more

Video: Agile or Fragile…Are Universities Stuck in the Year 2000? | ASU+GSV Summit 2026

Read more