Gov. Christine Gregoire's proposal for education reform finally puts teeth into the evaluation process for teachers and principals.
The proposal could potentially make bad teachers resign after one year of bad evaluations. Currently, the system only has two levels: unsatisfactory and satisfactory, with no real consequences coming from receiving either. In Gregoire's proposal, four categories would be implemented: unsatisfactory, basic, proficient and distinguished.
If teachers evaluated as “unsatisfactory” in September hadn't improved by June, they would be fired. Teachers evaluated as “basic” for two years in a row would also be fired. We think some fresh faces in classrooms could be helpful, especially with the number of young teachers being churned out of colleges and universities. School districts and higher education institutions should take a lesson from the rosters of sports teams: keep some veterans around, but let the new talent have a chance to thrive. It will help put the team in the right place for years to come.
Both the Cheney and Medical Lake school districts are currently exploring the Teacher Principal Evaluation Project, which adds steps like requiring teachers to submit portfolios during the evaluation process. Similar pilot programs are currently taking place across the state. This proposal would fall in line with some of what's happening in the TPEP program.
The governor's proposal, however, isn't perfect, and was somewhat vague on how the reforms would take place, if approved by the state Legislature.
For instance, it only applies to teachers and principals from high school on through graduate level classes. In order to be fully effective, this proposal should be applicable to all public schooling levels from elementary on up.
It also might be beneficial for the local community to be allowed to take part in the evaluation process. Yes, there is the argument that districts receive taxpayer money, and districts are aware that they're entrusted with the public's funds. But most community members have a good feel for people, especially business owners. Businesses, after all, must be profitable or else they face going out of business. Along the way, they are evaluating their employees. Teachers, if they aren't helping the district reach a similar profitability or achievement in their classroom, should face a fate similar to that of a regular business.
Having that public input would remove any bias that can develop inside the workplace between members of the administration and teachers. We've all seen at least one good teacher who was fired for wrong reasons. In order to prevent teachers from falling victim to politics inside the district, we have a solution: Cameras in the classroom.
Yes, they are no doubt a controversial topic, very much like having Big Brother watching over one's shoulder and unlikely to be accepted by the Washington Education Association, but cameras are a near-perfect solution.
They provide protection for teachers, for the students and provide proof of events in the classroom, eliminating any hearsay that can often lead to the firing of a good teacher, or the retention of a poor one. Many schools already incorporate cameras in the hallway and at the front entrance. Nearly all school buses also have those boxes on board, which may or may not contain a functioning camera.
Observing children in the classroom is far from out of the ordinary. At Eastern Washington University, many education majors used the observation areas in Reid Laboratory School to get a better understanding of how the classroom operates. Those students were, in essence, a human camera.
Finally, the cost of implementing such evaluations also came up in our editorial discussion. In the governor's proposal, there was no mention of how to pay for this. At a time when our state already has a beleaguered budget situation, adding another level of oversight, like Gregoire's proposal for a new department, without suggestions of its financial impact seems irresponsible.
Adding a set of teeth to evaluations in education is incredibly important. But questions still remain on this proposal's cost, implementation and just what the end goal is. These are all things that the governor's office needs to address before moving forward with this proposal.
Gregoire gets an A for effort, but it appears that we're missing the rest of her assignment.
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