"Teachers struck a compromise with Gov. Phil Bredesen over the use of student test scores in their evaluations, clearing away the biggest hurdle to the governor's education proposals."
The Tennessee Education Association, the state's biggest teachers union, endorsed a deal that would give teachers the right to choose some of the data that would be used in their evaluations.
Their support puts Bredesen's bill for K-12 education on track for a vote as soon as Friday. Bredesen has asked that the legislature pass the bill no later than Jan. 19 so that its measures can be included in Tennessee's application for $485 million in federal money through the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top program.
"I would be less than honest with you if I said teachers were excited about this," said Earl Wiman, the association's president. "What we're going to be saying to our teachers is, 'We have to step up to the plate.' "