Currently, a significant number of states are in the process of implementing a high-stakes teacher evaluation (HSTE) system. In many ways, Louisiana’s teacher evaluation system, Compass, is typical of the models that many states have adopted. This article reports the experiences of 37 elementary teachers from five districts across Louisiana after their first 2 years under this system. It is through the multiple lenses of teacher support, autonomy, self-efficacy, and satisfaction that we sought to understand how Compass has shaped teachers’ motivation for improvement as well as their continued commitment to the teaching profession. Analysis of longitudinal interview data reveals a widespread lack of support for change in the form of self-efficacy building experiences—particularly vicarious experiences—for teachers. As a result, many teachers experienced, by the second year, significant negative arousal events and profound losses of satisfaction and commitment to the profession—this despite most being rated as “highly effective.”

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The purpose of this study is to explore, using a musical metaphor, the consonance, counterpoint, dissonance, and resonance of a large-scale multicultural teacher education program. In particular, it examines the different instructional approaches of seven graduate students and two faculty who currently teach an undergraduate multicultural education course at a large midwestern university. By combining a theoretical framework (Bennett, 2010) with a musical-analytical approach, the study explores how the interplay of individual voices contributes to a "productive dissonance" that has the potential to transform the overall program. Multicultural Teacher Education ProgramsMethod Areas of Consonance, Counterpoint, Dissonance, and Resonance Productive Dissonance ReferencesDissonance is an essential element in almost any musical work; it is present when two notes that do not seem to fit together push toward a resolution. While "dissonance" comes out of a Western musical tradition and what is labeled "dissonant" varies depending on cultural context, the idea of using conflicting notes to develop a musical idea is a universal construct. Although dissonance can be destructive, turning music into noise, it is more often productive, resulting in a tension that moves the music forward. The purpose of this study is to explore, using a musical metaphor, some of the tensions inherent in a large-scale multicultural teacher education program. In particular it examines how the needs of the program to create a cohesive curriculum and the needs of the instructors to develop an individual approach may generate a "productive dissonance" that has the power to transform the program.