What is a Good Teacher Worth?
By ANDREW C. REVKINThere’s been much discussion of the value, in dollars and sense, of a good teacher (no typo). In many places, a conversation on the value of teachers is underpinned by debates over what’s being taught. In Texas, for example, theRepublican Party approved a platform opposing the teaching of critical thinking skills, saying it’s behavior modification with “the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.”
Such discussions have prompted a “Your Dot” contribution from Janet English, a science teacher at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif. She is