As everyone who’s ever attended school or had a child in school knows, teachers are important; a good one can have positive effects that resonate throughout a student’s life, while a bad one can leave you happily dishing with former classmates for years, or much worse.
Teachers have been in the news recently too, as the Chicago teachers’ union strikes against flat salaries, evaluations and testing. Just how are the country’s teachers hired, evaluated and paid? The answers might surprise you, especially if you work in the private sector.
According to the National Council on Teacher Quality , only 24 states tie teacher evaluations in any way to concrete signs of student progress.That means that in over half the states, teachers are not held responsible for the actual, measurable progress of their students. Of those 24, only 12 actually use student achievement as the most important factor in evaluations. Imagine if less than half of the nation’s engineers were held accountable for the results they produced. I wouldn’t want to cross any bridges.
My wife is a teacher so I may be partial on this one. If it was about student progress from where they were the yea before that may be ok. But when it is about hitting a certain mark that is not. She teaches 5th grade in a very low income school. Many kids are 2-3 grade levels behind and have just been passed on. She has no chance of getting them to pass the test at the end of the year. By passing kids on and holdin all kids to the same requirements you are setting many teachers up for failure. Also when parents have don't care about homework or studying the kids aren't going to do it.
ReplyDeleteAmen 4:05, the parents won't/don't parent so lets hold the teachers responsible but lets not allow them to discipline. Another example of what a joke democrap society we've become. Don't make people be resposible for themselves just blame it on someone else.
ReplyDelete