Brownback Wants Teacher Evaluations On Public Websites

Fri, January 27, 2012

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AP / Fletcher Powell

A plan by Governor Sam Brownback to post teacher evaluations on public websites is drawing strong criticism from lawmakers in both parties. Under Brownback’s plan, student performance on state assessments would be the primary factor in teacher evaluations. Evaluations also would include input from supervisors, peers, parents and students, and consider teachers’ contributions to the profession. The evaluations would be placed on websites designated by the school districts, with teachers ranked from highly effective to ineffective. The administration says the system would reward good teachers and encourage bad teachers to improve. Democratic and Republican members of the House Committee on Education criticized the plan Thursday. They said it would cause tension between teachers and parents, put all the blame for student performance on teachers, and interfere with school officials’ decisions.