Teacher bill will be key to reforming education

A VERY powerful editorial in the Denver Post supporting the bill:

Teacher bill will be key to reforming education

The emotional measure passed by lawmakers this week will hold teachers accountable for whether students are learning.

By The Denver Post

Posted: 05/14/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT

www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_15081729

There was so much emotion and political warfare surrounding the teacher tenure bill that legislators approved Wednesday, you might have thought the measure was going to end public education as we know it.

For better or worse, that's unlikely. But it will, for the first time, hold Colorado teachers accountable in a fair and objective way for the learning that happens in their classrooms.

The measure also puts Colorado at the vanguard of education reform nationwide. It is designed to refocus the educational mission, making great teaching and student achievement a no-excuses proposition.

Beyond policy, the tenure bill tested traditional alliances at the Capitol, as Democrats who believed in the reform found themselves at odds with a longtime ally, the powerful Colorado Education Association teachers union.

The passage of the bill, hard fought through the final hours of the session, makes the evaluations of teachers and principals dependent, in part, on the educational advancement of their students. Those who repeatedly fail to move their students academically risk losing their tenure and perhaps even their jobs.

We hope that eventually the system will be reshaped to offer additional financial rewards to those teachers who excel, particularly in difficult circumstances.

Despite hysterical assertions to the contrary, it is not meant to set up teachers as scapegoats for the sociological and economic disadvantages that their students bring to school with them.

It is not an effort to fire teachers en masse. It is an effort to recalibrate their mission in a very specific way. The foundation of this measure is the firm belief that even students who come from troubled circumstances can learn.

These are the very students that public education should not and cannot give up on. They need more educators in their corner who believe in them, and who, quite frankly, have a vested interest in their success.

The requirement for educational progress will, of course, also apply to schools and students who have a tradition of achievement. This measure means their needs cannot be overlooked either.

Every legislator who voted for this measure, particularly Democrats who resisted the full court press of the CEA, should be both proud and concerned. We say concerned because it's not over yet. Passage of the bill is but the first step. Gov. Bill Ritter must sign the bill, which he has pledged to do.

And education reformers must remain focused and watchful to ensure the creation of a detailed and fair evaluation system isn't sabotaged by opponents.

It's a multi-step process that will be carried out over the coming years by the Council for Educator Effectiveness. One of its greatest responsibilities will be to specifically define what makes an effective teacher.

With this reform, Colorado has the potential to make inroads on seemingly intractable student achievement gaps and improve education for all students.