Lots of Ways to Evaluate

Just watching Arne Duncan getting grilled by John Merrow here.

I just heard Duncan admit that we can't just evaluate teachers on test scores.  Agreed.

He said that you have to evaluate teachers on a variety of factors (what some call the "value added" method).  He mentions graduation rates, attendance, student engagement, success later in life and several other factors that had nothing to do with test scores.

I love this.  But there is a huge drawback - how will you measure and track this and how will you tie it to an effective teacher.

Duncan said it's not hard to recognize greatness in education.  I agree.  He said he can walk in to a school and notice a successful one from an unsuccessful one. 

But how do you tie that to a specific teacher and how effective they are.

Every day I show up to work I think in the back of my mind, "Okay, Mr. Zutz is having John Merrow visiting him today.  Whose class will he take Merrow to first to show off what we do here?"

And every day I walk into my classroom and think, "It better be mine."

Now, that's not saying I do anything better than my colleagues - for whom I have great, great respect - I just love what I do.  I'm passionate about what I do.  I'm enthusiastic about what I do.  Why do all that, and not want to have your students and what you do with them shown off?