Blue Jersey:: Ed Reform 101: Teachers

Blue Jersey:: Ed Reform 101: Teachers:

Ed Reform 101: Teachers by: Jersey Jazzman Wed Aug 31, 2011 at 09:15:00 AM EDT

Blue Jersey's Ed Reform 101 Part 2 - Teacher Quality Myths Everyone knows that teachers are important (even if politicians like Chris Christie don't always show it.). Everyone knows there are great teachers and bad teachers. Everyone knows that a teacher can change a child's life. But some corporate "reformers" take this notion about the importance of the teacher way too far. They claim the teacher is the most important factor in determining students' success, ignoring the role privilege, poverty, and parents play in a child's life. And they foolishly believe figuring out who teaches well is a simple matter of test scores: it isn't. One of the consequences of Christie's war on the NJEA is a false view of teachers and the processes used to evaluate them. If we are ever going to have a serious conversation about education in New