Budget cuts have been the central conflict we have been facing in the city of Austin and as well as the whole state of Texas. One of branches that are greatly affected by the budget cut is the education branch for public K-12 schools and higher education. Because jobs are harder to find in this recession, education board members are trying to filter out the teachers that will be the best fit to educate the students and be able to exceed teaching standards to provide more knowledge for the students.
The Texas Senate recently passed a bill that will enable school boards to evaluate teachers on their performance in the classroom. This bill makes sense that we are trying to filter out the best teachers the school board needs for their district but this idea is not completely reasonable. Millions of people go to college to get their degree and become professional educators. They have to spend at least 4 years of their life to go through college and also take an examination that allows them to be teachers. New teachers who are just starting out needs the experience to develop their teaching skills need the job just as much as the experienced teachers. Even though the experienced teachers understand more about the teaching environment and norms, they are also constantly needed to conform to new teaching methods and technology just as much as the newer teachers.
Teachers cannot be evaluated solely based on the numbers: attendance, passing rates, and test scores. Although the numbers are important in recognizing the teacher’s effectiveness, the evaluators must consider the environment and standards expected of the students in that area. A teacher that is teaching in a low-funded or poor school district shouldn’t be judged on the passing rates of their students because those students are more likely to struggle academically. This applies likewise to the higher-funded school districts.
Every aspect of from the teaching environment, to the numbers, and to the effectiveness should be considered when evaluating a teacher. The school board could evaluate teachers by asking the people that witness their teachings directly, the students. Some students might have different attitudes towards their teacher but they are the ones that really get to interact and see the teacher’s teaching ability. This teacher evaluation can either improve the standards for our future teachers or it can worsen them.
Nancy’s editorial concerning teacher evaluation is very interesting. She speaks about how a bill has recently been passed that will allow school boards evaluate their teachers on performance in the classroom. Which she completely agrees is a fantastic idea. She does a great job of explaining everything.
ReplyDeleteHer opinion that “Teachers cannot be evaluated solely based on the numbers: attendance, passing rates, and test scores” is completely true. She does a good job of justifying her reasoning as to why she believes numbers aren’t everything. I completely agree with the fact that a teacher in a low-funded school district should not be judged and compared to another teacher from a very well off academic district. It is simply no fair to the teacher!
Along with her commentary, she provides a method by which this could be a more fair game. Her suggestion is to have the student’s opinion instead of the evaluation of grades, attendance, and etc. After all, they are the ones who are receiving the schooling, let them be the ones to have a say in these budget cuts.