Wisconsin Teachers' Union Prepares for Battle with GOP Gov
A number of American Federation of Teachers affiliates across the country--D.C., Pittsburgh, Colorado, Baltimore--have embraced contracts or state laws that tie teacher tenure and performance ratings to student test scores. To date, the National Education Association, however--the larger union--has been reluctant to do so.
That's why the news out of Wisconsin this morning is interesting. The state's NEA affiliate, under pressure from Republican Gov. Scott Walker, has released a proposal of what it terms "bold reforms." The union is willing to make two significant compromises:
- Support the creation of a state-wide teacher evaluation system that takes student test score data into account
- Support some use of value-added analysis, a controversial statistical equation used to estimate the effect
