Many public school districts struggle with the federal and state charge to increase student achievement while continuing to build the instructional capacity of classroom teachers. While this charge may not seem to be unreasonable, the widening achievement gap between various student subgroups as evidenced in standardized testing results presents educators with unprecedented challenges and has created an ongoing quest to determine whether or not teacher evaluation ratings can be a predictor or indicator of student achievement. This study aims to assist in solving this mystery by providing qualitative and quantitative data from a typically high performing district in the state of North Carolina that continuously struggles to close the student achievement gap between African-American and Caucasian students in eighth grade mathematics. This study focuses on analyzing the student achievement data on the North Carolina End-of-Grade Test in eighth grade mathematics for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years as well as data collection from student focus groups, interviews, and an online survey administered to eighth grade teachers as well as their school administrators. Results from the analysis of the data collected supported the majority of information included in the review of literature that emphasized the importance of student/teacher relationships, aligning instructional style with student learning styles, and ensuring that all instruction is relevant and rigorous enough for each individual student. The data analysis also revealed that formal teacher evaluation ratings on the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System (NCEES) are not a sole indicator or predictor of how well students will achieve or perform on standardized testing. The researcher concludes that although the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System (NCEES) was designed to be a reflective evaluation method to enhance and build instructional capacity, it is not a clear indicator of student achievement or performance--the lack of a mutually respectful and strong relationship between teachers and students as well as a lackluster desire to understand and gain knowledge of the students' cultural background and learning styles are the greatest obstacles to closing the achievement gap between the African-American and Caucasian students in eighth grade mathematics. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]