Bloomberg Tells Schools to Link Tenure to Student Gain
Posted by Beth DuBose on Nov 30, 2009
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the city’s public schools to start using student achievement data in the evaluations of teachers who are up for tenure this school year. He stated in a panel discussion at the Center for American Progress on November 25, 2009 in Washington that he has ordered his principals to include student-performance data in teacher assessments.
Bloomburg is urging that state lawmakers also encourage districts to tie teacher assessments to student gains so the state has a better chance of winning part of the
$4.35 billion Race to the Top grants. The Race to the Top funds do not allow states to apply for the grants if they do not let schools use student performance data in teacher evaluations. Arne Duncan, who was also part of the panel on November 25, stated that he did not want states to make changes just to win the money. He wants the staes to make changes that will last decades. The American Federation of Teachers said it doesn’t oppose using student data to determine teacher effectiveness, but it should not be the only criteria in the teacher’s evaluation.