Will Lapse of Teacher Evaluation Plan Lead to Poorer Performances?

Janet Joyce Tuesday, March 26, 2013

One of the most debatable aspects of education is the performance of teachers. Now that debate just might get a little bit more heated. More than 90 percent of teacher evaluation plans that Long Island school districts rushed to complete by a state deadline already are nearing expiration, a lapse that some educators and analysts fear will weaken expectations for teachers' performance.

All but 10 of the plans covering the 124 public school districts will terminate June 30 because they are only one-year agreements. That's less than six months after the Jan. 17 deadline that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo set for evaluation plans' approval by the state Department of Education.

Under the current state law, these plans need to be renegotiated between the disctricts and teachers unions and representatives. Does this mean that teachers will now be free of any evaluations until they have a new contract or plan? Cuomo has declared the creation of evaluation plans in nearly 700 districts statewide "a great success" despite the plans' short duration.

However, New York City's school system -- the state's largest with 1.1 million students -- still has no plan in place. The governor has threatened to impose a plan by June if Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the city's teacher union cannot settle their differences. On the Island, in contrast, most school officials predict that the next round of negotiations will go smoothly. Many of those officials acknowledge, though, that the need to renegotiate carries a risk that union leaders will threaten to withhold their signatures unless they win concessions on evaluations or other issues.

As one who has been involved in the educational system to most of her life, I agree that there are some things that the government should simply leave alone when it comes to teachers and education. However, there must be something in place to protect the children in the community to ensure that they get the best educators that they can. If this means a strict evaluation process, the unions and the teachers must see the importance of it. After all, it is about the kids not the teachers comfort.

janetj@longislandyellowpages.com

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