Using Student Surveys to Evaluate Teachers

Three VERY interesting and important stories in this month’s The Atlantic on education. The first is by Amanda Ripley on the spread of using student surveys to evaluate teachers – because it turns out that, collectively, they’re A LOT better than tests AND principals:

A decade ago, an economist at Harvard, Ronald Ferguson, wondered what would happen if teachers were evaluated by the people who see them every day—their students. The idea—as simple as it sounds, and as familiar as it is on college campuses—was revolutionary. And the results seemed to be, too: remarkable consistency from grade to grade, and across racial divides. Even among kindergarten students. A growing number of school systems are administering the surveys—and might be able to overcome teacher resistance in order to link results to salaries and promotions.

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