Taking the long view: investigating the history of a writing program's teacher evaluation system

This historical study illustrates the effects of implementing a merit-based, peer-evaluated teacher portfolio evaluation system. I constructed a 25-year history of the Syracuse University Writing Program's teacher evaluation committee through both the collection and analysis of archived administrative documents and retrospective oral histories conducted with members of this independent writing program. I argue that there are significant consequences of reflective, comprehensive evaluation for both writing programs and their members, effects that sometimes cannot be detected for years. Ultimately, my essay urges writing program administrators to take a long-range perspective when they assess the effectiveness of administrative systems and design administrative structures that can evolve within changing contexts.