teacher evaluation

Two years ago, New York State’s legislators passed a law requiring districts and teachers unions to replace outdated evaluations that rate nearly all teachers “satisfactory” and fail to provide the feedback and support educators deserve.

GoKnow Mobile Learning and the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals collaborated to create GoObserve, a tablet-based classroom observation and walk-through tool.

After years of trying, Connecticut representatives of teacher unions, superintendents and school boards Wednesday reached consensus on the controversial issue of teacher evaluations.

School principals, including some who back more rigorous review of teachers, are balking at education reforms required by Race to the Top. New teacher evaluations are all-consuming, they say.

America's public school teachers are seeing their generations-old tenure protections weakened as states seek flexibility to fire teachers who aren't performing.

A plan to strengthen K-12 education, released earlier this week, sets many ambitious deadlines. By the end of the 2012 legislative session for example, Maine Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen wants lawmakers to agree on tough expectations that Maine teachers must meet to be considered effective in the classroom.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo would use his considerable budget powers to force changes he says will improve public schools, including tougher evaluations for teachers and principals.

Plans for a new teacher rating system for New York City schools that would include measures of student performance—a hallmark of national education reform efforts—were dealt a setback on Friday after negotiations broke down between the city and the teachers union.

The failure to reach an agreement before a year-end deadline had an immediate, if minimal, effect: The state suspended a program to funnel nearly $60 million in federal funds to the city to improve a small number of troubled schools. The money represents less than 0.3% of the Department of Education's annual budget.