Teacher Performance Evaluation: to blame, punish or develop professionally?

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the Teacher Performance Evaluation, from the perspective of the Teacher Professional Development, based on data collected in research carried out by the Research Group for Teacher Education and Teaching Profession, of the Graduate Program in Education in the Federal University of Ouro Preto. The analysis presented are the results of focus groups, carried out with 27 teachers from the municipal public-school system in the city of Mariana - MG. The results show that Teacher Performance Evaluation becomes an important training policy when focused on teacher professional development. However, this has been restricted to the vehicle of dominance and control of the system over teachers’ careers, a fact that wastes the promotion of changes in pedagogical practices in the socio-educational context.