How should teachers be graded?

Debate rises over how to identify and keep qualified teachers.

from the August 30, 2007 edition

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Huggins says student gains on state tests should account for at least half of the measure of teacher quality, with the remainder based on "evaluations by principals or peer-review panels – because we also want to see principals empowered to run their schools." A proposal along these lines is included in the "All Students Can Achieve Act," introduced this summer by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I) of Connecticut, Mary Landrieu (D) of Louisiana, and Norm Coleman (R) of Minnesota.

"It is absolutely critical that teachers be able to demonstrate subject-matter competence ... teaching ability, and so on before they get in front of a classroom," says Reg Weaver, president of the National Education Association, a teachers union in Washington. But he draws the line when asked if student-growth data should be used to measure teacher effectiveness. "Absolutely not," he says, citing factors that affect learning but are out of teachers' control, such as class size and school safety.

Policymakers need to look at the whole puzzle, Mr. Weaver says, which includes not just standards and testing, but also the "economic structure and tax base and adequate and equitable funding."

The NEA supports pay incentives for teachers who work in hard-to-staff schools. But pay alone is unlikely to keep teachers in high-needs schools, says Tom Carroll, president of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, a Washington nonprofit. His organization estimates that teacher turnover costs public schools $7.3 billion a year.

What drives teachers out is "unacceptable conditions," and for young teachers, it's often because "they feel they've been thrown in, sink or swim," Mr. Carroll says. "The good news is you can turn this problem around." Cities such as Boston and Chicago have improved retention rates through coaching new teachers, he says.

At the very least, Carroll argues, schools should be required to report their teacher-turnover rates, which would expose the unstable learning environment faced by some students, particularly minorities.

Better school leadership can stem turnover, says Ms. Walsh of the National Council on Teacher Quality. If principals "created an atmosphere of collegiality and were effective at their own jobs, that would attract a better caliber of teachers." States also need to do better overseeing the quality of education schools and certification, she says. "Only 14 states require annual evaluations [of teachers]," and in some of those states, "you can get a 'Satisfactory' and be a terrible teacher."

New efforts to find good teachers

Finding qualified teachers for certain subjects is particularly difficult. But a number of programs have sprung up to help. One is The New Teacher Project, a national nonprofit in New York. Through an immersion program for people with some math background, the group has increased New York City's supply of math teachers by 500 percent, says CEO Ariela Rozman. "On every measure – from retention to principal satisfaction with how they are doing in the classroom – these folks are as strong or stronger than math majors," she says.

There is no one right way, but creating clear, fair evaluation systems is essential, Ms. Rozman says, "not just because you want to be able to identify teachers who are not performing up to par, but because you want to be able to distinguish the ones who are doing an excellent job."

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