Evaluating Teachers: EWA Seminar Sparks Debate
We had nearly 50 education journalists in Chicago for a one-day EWA seminar on "Evaluating Teachers: Beyond the Rhetoric." I encourage you to read some of the terrific work being done this week by the seminar participants, including the Kalamazoo Gazette's Julie Mack and Dave Murray of the Grand Rapids Press.
Mack cleverly organized some of the lessons from the seminar into "10 things to think about as Michigan and other states overhaul teacher evaluations." Her summary is both thoughtful and engaging.
Dave Murray reported on one of the more controversial remarks made at Saturday's event, by Tim Knowles, the John Dewey director of the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. Knowles suggested that schools of education amounted to a "cartel," which can effectively avoid outside attempts to change how they prepare students for teaching careers.
Teacher prep programs are under intense scrutiny right now, and I think we should expect to see many stories in regional publications in the coming months, looking at the track records of specific programs.
We also had a chance to hear from researchers from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research about a new report examining teacher evaluations as a means of actually helping educators improve their performance, rather than just rating them. (To read the report, click here.) You can also read Rebecca Vevea's story from the Chicago News Cooperative, to find out how Windy City teachers feel about proposed changes to evaluation systems.
For a roundup of additional stories, check out this entry on Ed Beat, which is being updated as new pieces are published.
Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email me at erichmond@ewa.org. I'm also on Twitter @EWAEmily.
Dave Murray reported on one of the more controversial remarks made at Saturday's event, by Tim Knowles, the John Dewey director of the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. Knowles suggested that schools of education amounted to a "cartel," which can effectively avoid outside attempts to change how they prepare students for teaching careers.
Teacher prep programs are under intense scrutiny right now, and I think we should expect to see many stories in regional publications in the coming months, looking at the track records of specific programs.
We also had a chance to hear from researchers from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research about a new report examining teacher evaluations as a means of actually helping educators improve their performance, rather than just rating them. (To read the report, click here.) You can also read Rebecca Vevea's story from the Chicago News Cooperative, to find out how Windy City teachers feel about proposed changes to evaluation systems.
For a roundup of additional stories, check out this entry on Ed Beat, which is being updated as new pieces are published.
Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email me at erichmond@ewa.org. I'm also on Twitter @EWAEmily.
Labels: #ewahied, cartel, Chicago News Cooperative, Dave Murray, EWA, Grand Rapids Press, Julie Mack, Kalamazoo Gazette, Rebecca Vevea, teacher evaluation, teacher_evaluation, teacher_evaluations, teachers, Tim Knowles, University of Chicago
posted by Emily Richmond at
3:00 AM
3 Comments:
Helping teachers to improve is at the heart of a successful and meaningful teacher evaluation system. EdTrust-West and Teach Plus LA just released, "Improving Teacher Evaluation in California," which highlights three pioneering efforts that are providing critical support for teachers at all levels to improve their craft. The report is located here: http://www.edtrust.org/sites/edtrust.org/files/ETW_TeachPlusLA_Improving%20Teacher%20Evaluation%20in%20CA_web%20booklet.pdf for anyone interested in other on-the-ground examples where teacher evaluation processes are working well.
Unfortunately, demoralizing and undermining teachers is the effect of too many of the current teacher-evaluation fads, and the responsible education press should be working overtime to expose this. (And you all should be screaming for the LA Times to stop discrediting the entire journalism profession with its unethical behavior -- the entire press is tainted unless you speak up loudly to object.)
Timothy Knowles was the founding Director of Teach For America in New York City. That is why he said because TFA is not in favor of veterans teachers
Post a Comment
Considerate comments are welcome. Uncivil remarks will be deleted. Anonymous comments -- including those unaccompanied by the author's first and last name -- are not permitted.
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home