How to Evaluate K-12 Teachers

[DGS49]

Our Failing Schools Are a National Crisis

Recent test scores show a 50-year downward trend for American students. We need to change course immediately.

www.city-journal.org

The City Journal - no friend of teachers' unions - basically blames them for the disturbing trends in American K-12 education. And for the record, the Covid lockdowns did some harm, but they were sucking big-time even before the Pandemic hit.

If "we" presume that in teaching, as in every other profession, the bottom ten percent should be fired for incompetence, that means that there are tens of thousands of incompetent teachers and hundreds of thousands of students under their awful tutelage at any given time. The unspoken fact is that it is virtually impossible to be fired for non-performance in an American public school. The few terminations are invariably for some form of misconduct and not for being a horrible teacher.

But how do we evaluate public school teachers? It can't be done on grades alone because teachers do not choose their students, and also because if grades were used then teachers could easily cheat and inflate grades.

Imagine that a standardized test could be administered every September, then again in June, to see how much the students have learned. The contents of the two tests would be kept confidential to everyone, especially teachers. Teachers would be compared to their peers, district wide, and the poorest performers put on probation, then terminated if they have two consecutive years of inferior performance.

But that's pure speculation on my part.

Any teachers care to weigh in?

Parenthetically, we are told that there is a current and future teacher shortage, so there is little incentive to start a program that would be tossing some of them out. Nevertheless, I'd rather have fewer teachers, all of them competent, and possibly larger class sizes than keeping teachers who are, in effect, harming our children.

 

[Woodznutz]

The students are as much to blame as the teachers for poor performance. Teaching and learning must be a cooperative effort done in a controlled environment with no distractions. That is not what is happening in our schools.

 

[White 6]

The students are as much to blame as the teachers for poor performance. Teaching and learning must be a cooperative effort done in a controlled environment with no distractions. That is not what is happening in our schools.

Don't forget the parents, some using schools as a babysitting service, not following, assisting and doing effective personal diligence guiding their own kids in education as well as all other areas of their upbringing, for whatever reason, cultural, philosophic or personal education level.

 

[Concerned American]

The students are as much to blame as the teachers for poor performance.

In the upper grades, I would agree with you. However, in K-6, those children are sponges and they want to please their parent and adult models. If they are reached during those years, many of the problems we see in upper grades would disappear. I see some benefit that could be accomplished with the OP's suggestion or something similar.

 

[Woodznutz]

In the upper grades, I would agree with you. However, in K-6, those children are sponges and they want to please their parent and adult models. If they are reached during those years, many of the problems we see in upper grades would disappear. I see some benefit that could be accomplished with the OP's suggestion or something similar.

Regimentation and discipline should start in the early grades and continue through college, especially appropriate dress and grooming.

 

[Woodznutz]

Don't forget the parents, some using schools as a babysitting service, not following, assisting and doing effective personal diligence guiding their own kids in education as well as all other areas of their upbringing, for whatever reason, cultural, philosophic or personal education level.

My parents didn't give a damn about our education. We did well because we weren't rebellious, and it was expected of us by our teachers.

 

[White 6]

Regimentation and discipline should start in the early grades and continue through college, especially appropriate dress and grooming.

This what you had in mind?

or maybe this?

 

[White 6]

My parents didn't give a damn about our education. We did well because we weren't rebellious, and it was expected of us by our teachers.

Sad, but congrats.

 

[Concerned American]

My parents didn't give a damn about our education. We did well because we weren't rebellious, and it was expected of us by our teachers.

I'm sorry for you. My parents were very supportive of the schools. I came up when corporal punishment was allowed and I knew better than to tell my folks that I was paddled at school because I would get a REAL paddling and grounding as a result. We raised our daughter the same way.

 

[Woodznutz]

This what you had in mind?

or maybe this?

Appropriate dress need not be uniforms, just tasteful; 'dressy casual' if you will.

 

[Woodznutz]

I'm sorry for you. My parents were very supportive of the schools. I came up when corporal punishment was allowed and I knew better than to tell my folks that I was paddled at school because I would get a REAL paddling and grounding as a result. We raised our daughter the same way.

I envy you. I'm sure I would have done better with parental support.

 

[Concerned American]

Appropriate dress need not be uniforms, just tasteful; 'dressy casual' if you will.

Clean serviceable clothes that cover to decent standards. I am a determined opponent of uniforms as I believe dress is a form of expression. I was brought up wearing blue jeans, button down shirts (made at home) and high top tennis shoes. None of which had holes in them. I was appalled yesterday when I was in a local store and saw artificially-worn "daisy duke style cut offs" for sale for $45--are you fucking kidding me? Has common sense truly died?

 

[Unkotare]

...

Imagine that a standardized test could be administered every September, then again in June, to see how much the students have learned. ...

We already do that, and it's at least three times a year.

 

[SweetSue92]

Our Failing Schools Are a National Crisis

Recent test scores show a 50-year downward trend for American students. We need to change course immediately.

www.city-journal.org

The City Journal - no friend of teachers' unions - basically blames them for the disturbing trends in American K-12 education. And for the record, the Covid lockdowns did some harm, but they were sucking big-time even before the Pandemic hit.

If "we" presume that in teaching, as in every other profession, the bottom ten percent should be fired for incompetence, that means that there are tens of thousands of incompetent teachers and hundreds of thousands of students under their awful tutelage at any given time. The unspoken fact is that it is virtually impossible to be fired for non-performance in an American public school. The few terminations are invariably for some form of misconduct and not for being a horrible teacher.

But how do we evaluate public school teachers? It can't be done on grades alone because teachers do not choose their students, and also because if grades were used then teachers could easily cheat and inflate grades.

Imagine that a standardized test could be administered every September, then again in June, to see how much the students have learned. The contents of the two tests would be kept confidential to everyone, especially teachers. Teachers would be compared to their peers, district wide, and the poorest performers put on probation, then terminated if they have two consecutive years of inferior performance.

But that's pure speculation on my part.

Any teachers care to weigh in?

Parenthetically, we are told that there is a current and future teacher shortage, so there is little incentive to start a program that would be tossing some of them out. Nevertheless, I'd rather have fewer teachers, all of them competent, and possibly larger class sizes than keeping teachers who are, in effect, harming our children.

There is so much ignorance here it's hard to know where to start.

How about I just start with this.

I'm going to randomly select 25 teenagers. I'm going to have you teach them all to drive. Then, their driving record will be all on you--on how you taught them. Your job as a driving instructor will be completely dependent on their record.

Seem fair?

Let's start there.

 

[SweetSue92]

The students are as much to blame as the teachers for poor performance. Teaching and learning must be a cooperative effort done in a controlled environment with no distractions. That is not what is happening in our schools.

I don't even blame the students for the most part.

It's adults. It's families. It's the culture.

 

[SweetSue92]

Don't forget the parents, some using schools as a babysitting service, not following, assisting and doing effective personal diligence guiding their own kids in education as well as all other areas of their upbringing, for whatever reason, cultural, philosophic or personal education level.

To the level of sending 5.5 year old children to school not toilet trained. Nothing wrong with the children; no extenuating physical or mental special needs. Just "didn't get around to it".

We used to be able to exclude children from Kindergarten for this but now cannot. Toilet training takes concerted effort and some parents just won't put it in. So, enter the schools. Guaranteed, if you are having to teach a child to use the toilet in kindergarten guess what that child is not learning? Everything else.

 

[SweetSue92]

Regimentation and discipline should start in the early grades and continue through college, especially appropriate dress and grooming.

Dress and grooming are the LEAST of our concerns

 

[SweetSue92]

I'm sorry for you. My parents were very supportive of the schools. I came up when corporal punishment was allowed and I knew better than to tell my folks that I was paddled at school because I would get a REAL paddling and grounding as a result. We raised our daughter the same way.

I had a couple of really horrid elementary teachers that frankly, hated kids.

It didn't matter. My job was to follow their directions and do their work.

In the end I turned out better for it, rather than what is mostly the norm these days--the teacher is not trusted nor respected unless and until he/she has taken many steps to "earn" it, and even then, very guarded. Etc.

 

[Unkotare]

To the level of sending 5.5 year old children to school not toilet trained. Nothing wrong with the children; no extenuating physical or mental special needs. Just "didn't get around to it".

We used to be able to exclude children from Kindergarten for this but now cannot. Toilet training takes concerted effort and some parents just won't put it in. So, enter the schools. Guaranteed, if you are having to teach a child to use the toilet in kindergarten guess what that child is not learning? Everything else.

How many fucking times are you gonna post about toilet training?

 

[Woodznutz]

Dress and grooming are the LEAST of our concerns

Maybe that is a problem as well.