Readers debate new law requiring parents to be notified when teachers get poor evaluation
Is it a good idea to require schools to notify parents when a teacher gets a poor evaluation?
That’s one of the provisions of the tenure reform package signed into law this week by Gov. Rick Snyder.
A blog post that pointed out that provision sparked an online debate on whether this was such a good idea.
Most commenters, who appeared to be educators, were appalled.
An commenter with the tag name robertsonswaggertbakker referred to “this right wing nut job governor, administration, and legislature” and wrote: “One thing for sure, teachers won’t have to be notified if parents need a poor evaluation – they’ll know after the kid is in their class for about three days.”
Wrote Little-Duckie:” So when a parent of a high school kid gets a letter saying his kid’s math teacher is ineffective, what happens next? What happens when every parent calls the school asking for a different math teacher? It sure is going to be interesting to see how all this plays out.”
Luv2teach predicts a vicious cycle: “Districts could not afford to leave a classroom nearly empty. So what will this provision do? Make it so a principal will avoid an ineffective rating so as not to deal with the fall out. Also, not all parents would bother to complain. What will happen is the less involved parents will be dropped into that class, and their children who are at risk because they have less involved parents. So now the ineffective teacher has a stacked class, which then leads to another poor rating.”
Terry357 suggested the provision points out the larger inconsistency of the law: “Parents get notified when teachers getting a failing grade but parents DON’T get notified if their teenage daughter goes to get an abortion or is given birth control pills at the ripe old age of eleven.”
Teachers, welcome to the real world, writes school transparency: “These issues aren’t any different in the private sector. As to due process, private sector due process is a proven success. I hire someone and if they aren’t making the grade there is a process where they get their due, goodbye!”
Scott48910 offered a similar sentiment: “A job scared teacher is a better teacher.”
Ltcdavid provided some additional information about the new requirement, and sees it remains to be seen whether it really will be enacted: “That provision of HB 4627 doesn’t take effect until 2015-16, long after the Governor’s council on educators’ effectiveness has chimed in and student achievement growth and assessment has climbed to 50% of the evaluation. That’s four years from now and any change in the balance of power in Lansing between now and then might easily hack these new laws to pieces, anyway. I’m a cynic when educational achievement depends on political will in our state or federal capitols.”
