D.C. teachers offer wide range of views on city policies
A D.C. Council hearing meant to solicit teachers’ views on improving city schools drew dozens of witnesses Saturday and offered a glimpse of the wide range of educators’ perspectives, particularly on the District’s controversial and politically charged teacher evaluations.
At one end of the spectrum was Washington Teachers’ Union President Elizabeth Davis, who called the evaluations — known as IMPACT — “a miserable failure” that has led to the most disempowered and frustrated teaching force she’s seen in 41 years.
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At the other end were teachers who said that the evaluations clarified what was expected of them and pushed them to improve. “IMPACT is not a perfect system, but it has made me a better teacher and ensured I show up 100 percent every day,” said Jonte Lee, a teacher at Wilson High.
And in the middle were teachers who said that the evaluations have value but fail to account for the vast differences among the city’s students and penalize teachers who choose to work in the most challenging schools.
“We must be careful that IMPACT is not forcing good teachers out of our lowest-