Gates Defends Teachers, Denounces Public ‘Shaming’
It’s difficult to say what is more disconcerting: the drawing of a gallows to illustrate an opinion article in Thursday’s New York Times about the plan to release teacher evaluation scores, or the identity of the person who is taking up the teachers’ cause, Bill Gates.
Mr. Gates, famous for Microsoft and his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a deep-pocketed supporter of causes related to school reform — including more accountability for teachers — comes out strongly against the release of teacher data reports, calling it a public shaming of teachers.
The reports, which will be released in New York City any minute now, are the scores that each teacher received based on their students’ improvement on standardized tests, also known as value-added ratings. The