94% of Teachers Rated 'Effective' in District Where Schools Got 'F' Grades

Public Domain

Is anyone surprised that school district rating systems for teacher performance are something of a joke? The Mackinac Center for Public Policy reports that the Flint Community School District in Michigan rated 94 percent of its teachers—and 99 percent of its administrators—as "effective" at their jobs, even though the district contains numerous "F" schools.

According to Mackinac:

Even when student progress is adjusted for socioeconomic status, the district's performance is little better.According to ratings which do adjust for student backgrounds compiled by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, seven Flint schools earned "F" grades, 12 got "C" grades and only one merited an "A" based on data from 2009 to 2012.The Mackinac Center's high school and elementary/middle school report cards provide more detail.

There is an obvious discrepancy when many of the students in these schools are deficient at reading and math, and yet the people responsible for educating them are universally praised for their efforts.

The problem: Michigan's rating system for teacher and administrators doesn't track evaluations to student performance. Two bills currently under consideration in the state senate would fix that, however.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The teachers were effective, the schools weren't. And don't even get me started on the students.

[DJF]

Maybe the teachers should move to Lake Wobegon where all students are above average.

[Counterfly]

If they weren't effective, the union would have had them removed already. Duh.

[Rich]

rated 94 percent of its teachers?and 99 percent of its administrators?as "effective"

Since "effective" means "operative" or "in effect", as in "The law is effective immediately", I fail to understand the outrage.

[JWatts]

Did they reliably vote for the correct politician? If so, they are "effective" on the only metric that matters.

[Acosmist]

"The problem: Michigan's rating system for teacher and administrators doesn't track evaluations to student performance."

Adjust for student IQ and you may have something there. Otherwise, why would a teacher be fired for having the bad luck to have a class full of morons?

[Rich]

"No moron left behind!"

[Marshall Gill]

why would a teacher be fired for having the bad luck to have a class full of morons?

Because that is what they are massively over-paid to do? Nah, just kidding. Teaching is good. Teachers are good. Stealing is OK as long as it is to pay good teachers, which they all are, because they are teachers.

[kbolino]

Otherwise, why would a teacher be fired for having the bad luck to have a class full of morons?

Our ridiculous "education" system aside, teachers should have as much choice in the process as parents. If you don't think you can do anything for a kid, you shouldn't be forced to "teach" him. Of course, his parents aren't likely to pay you for doing nothing, either.

[The Laconic]

Another headline ripped from The Onion.

Bad Teacher is a surprisingly good movie, by the way.

[toolkien]

It's the administrators' fault...

Back in my Public Accounting days, I bounced into the 7th circle of hell. I was on an audit that took me to a Union Temple, and I was shoved away into a meeting room. I was to vacate early because there was going to be a meeting - of teachers. Some arrived early, so - while I packed up - I got to hear all the teachers complaining. And there's nothing like the intersection of being a teacher AND a union attendee. They made your average convenience store clerk shine by comparison. And this was in good old Berkeley central - Madison Wisconsin. I still get the shivers just thinking about it.

[Wackado]

The problem: Michigan's rating system for teacher and administrators doesn't track evaluations to student performance. Two bills currently under consideration in the state senate would fix that, however.

That arguement is in essence saying that the problem is that we don't have the right central planners involved. It is surprising for a libertarian site to argue in favor of a different centrally planned solution.

The real underlying problem is that parents are taxed and the forced to use a monopoly to get the service funded by their taxes. If parents could choose, service providers would find or develop the best system that helps them keep parents' business.

When was the last time we cared about how Apple and Google each evaluate ther iOS and andriod developers? We don't care. We just get the phone that suits us.

We need to focus on the core issue and not side with any flavor of central planning.

[Rev-Match]

and yet the people responsible for educating them are universally praised for their efforts.

Everyone gets a participation trophy.