In New York, teachers will get the chance to evaluate their principals as part of a school reform package introduced by Mayor Bloomberg.

Allowing teachers to help evaluate principals has been a longstanding request of the teachersÂ’ union, and Mr. Klein seemed to be going out of his way to praise teachers a day after the mayor announced that tenure after a three-year probationary period would no longer be nearly automatic. Instead teachers will be rigorously evaluated.

“Because of our deep respect for our teachers, we’re looking for other ways to make sure that their wisdom becomes yet a more important part of each school’s culture,” Mr. Klein said. “Their views on how a school is being run are critically important, and we need to formalize the process by which those views are expressed and properly considered.”

Let's be honest -- as a teacher, I know which members of the administrative team at my school are getting the job done, which are dead weight, and which are actively destructive of the school's mission. The same is true of my colleagues. And while w should not have the overwhelming say in hiring and firing decisions, our input ought to be considered..

By the way, this article also points out one reason I am glad that I teach in Texas -- reading the whiny comments of the union official makes me glad that here in Texas we can choose from a variety of teacher organizations, or refuse to join any of them.

Posted by: Greg at 11:24 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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