I want to start the conversation off with a question: if we are working diligently to create lifelong learners, does an emphasis on exclusive teacher accountability denigrate the efforts of the system to cultivate this trait in kids? By the way, I am NOT talking exclusively about standardized testing. In my mind, I am ALWAYS [...]

Let’s assume, for a second, that performance pay becomes a reality in schools. Teachers are paid based upon some quantitative data that suggests student learning. Whether this is an accurate metric or not is irrelevant for the question I want us to consider. With the institution of a merit/performance pay system, do districts forego the [...]

This is the first in a series of posts over how to judge teacher effectiveness using input and output data. In this first post, I discuss the conversation that education circles should be having over how to properly utilize quantitative data to assess teachers. Much of the discussion in education circles today revolves around performance pay and [...]