AbstractsEducation Research & Administration

Education reformers are calling for increased accountability for the nation’s public schools. Teacher evaluation has experienced a shift in focus from what teachers do to accomplish the task of teaching to student growth as a result of what teachers do in the classroom (Achieve, Inc., 2007). Additionally, a connection between teacher job satisfaction and quality of education in the classroom has been identified (Hall, Zinko, Perryman, & Ferris, 2009). The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if increased accountability measures found in the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) impacted teacher job satisfaction. The research was conducted through a three-part survey which included a demographic section, questions from the Teacher Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, and questions specifically related to the OTES. The survey was sent to Ohio K-12 public education superintendents and principals to be forwarded to teachers. Survey participation was voluntary and all participants were anonymous. A total of 290 completed responses were submitted. Pearson Product-Moment Correlations were performed on the data. The data suggested the OTES did not significantly impact teacher job satisfaction. Additionally, the findings indicated components of the OTES did not significantly impact teacher job satisfaction. A disparity was found between the data and open-ended comments made by the participants. Recommendations for future research include accessing a statewide database to increase the size of the sample and conduct the study again in the future to determine if the results were due to the design of the OTES or to change in general. Advisors/Committee Members: Crates, Kathy (Committee Chair), Gillham, John (Advisor).