The Arkansas Education Association sends around a statement cheering a new national report that suggests part of the problem with poor teachers is that there’s a “pervasive indifference” to evaluating teachers. (In other words, don’t blame tenure or the perceived inability to fire bad teachers for their presence in classrooms. Blame the lack of a good system to assess teachers, This includes a failure to recognize excellence, as well as to root out the inadequate.)
The report was based on reviews of four states, including Arkansas. Find out all about it here. It’s not likely to move the convinced. The Walton U. crowd will still blame the unions, even though most districts in Arkansas don’t have them.
I must repeat my tired old rant. I’ve seen schools where principals knew good teachers, made them feel welcome and didn’t renew slackers — unions and potential lawsuits be damned. These were successful schools (yes, even in bad old LR). It can be done. I’ve seen schools with less rigorous leadership and predictable results. Are there enough such good leaders and teachers to stock all the schools in the country? It’s a big task, given the money available, the competition from other professions and the teacher commitment necessary even in the best situated school, never mind all those populated by indifferent-to-resistant students from uninvolved homes.