Teacher Evaluation: Principals, Principles And Power
On the Schoolbook blog of the New York Times, Philip Weinberg takes issue with my two Edwize posts (Part 1and Part 2) on New York’s new teacher evaluation law. Weinberg is a principal of a New York City public high school and a supporter of the widely circulated Long Island principals’ letter criticizing the New York teacher evaluation law, and he writes that my posts are a response to that letter. On this point, he is simply wrong: even a cursory reading of the posts makes it clear that I did not discuss the letter, but rather set out to provide a comprehensive explanation of the more important and complex features of the new teacher evaluation framework. But Weinberg’s reading of the issues involving teacher evaluation is nonetheless worth addressing, as it brings much needed clarity to the underlying agenda of the principals’ letter. And since the UFT’s stance toward the Long Island principals’ letter is a frequent matter of speculation, it provides an opportunity to explain where we stand.
In his post, Weinberg writes:
In his post, Weinberg writes:
My concern about the agreement is that a large portion of a teacher’s evaluation is to be taken out