Media: One Big Mistake Mars Excellent Post Evaluation Story

Lots of great stuff in today's Stephanie McCrummen story in the Washington Post about a real-life teacher evaluation process -- a glimpse into the meeting room we all wonder about and talk about so much but rarely get to see.  You should definitely check it out.  But be forewarned:  a couple of sharp-eyed folks have noticed that the article mistakenly suggests teachers are the most influential factor in student learning.  In reality they're the most imporant in-school factor, as I understand it.  You know, family income and education level, parent involvement, all that other stuff plays a role, too.  An honest mistake or just another sign of what Mike Klonsky calls the "poverty taboo" that's grown up around school reform over the last couple of years?  No idea.  Still well worth reading.  

Comments

[Bruce]

Agreed, a very interesting article. It's easy to believe that there will be a lot of teacher push-back if this conversation is at all typical of what's going on in this teacher-evaluation system.

[Jeff]

Indeed, over the past two months I have learned a great deal about the factors that are contributing to the decline in our educational system. The teacher/instructors who spend the day with our children in the classroom setting are and should be the most important in-school factor in considering sucess within the classroom. However, as noted, external issues such parents and the socioeconomic status of the child are definitive out of classroom issues that play a key role in the debate driving reform.

I hope that teachers/instructors continue to self-evaluate and seek to improve themselves, because if they improve, so will their classrooms, and this is a win-win scenario. Of course the hardest thing that I have found as an instructor and a student is to be able to take the constructive feedback/criticsm and focus on that and not view it as a personal attack.

Good points, review and article.