Need exists for ‘solid, objective’ ways
to measure teachers’ effectiveness

    While school leaders frequently hear education reformers say that effective teaching is defined by improvements to student learning, those reformers issue conflicting statements on how to measure such effectiveness and use those assessments to improve teaching. That’s the contention of a new issue brief, Measuring and Improving the Effectiveness of High School Teachers, presented by the Alliance for Excellent Education this spring.

.....more

   The biggest challenge facing Blanca Cavazos as principal of California’s Arvin High School is helping her 2,642 students and their families understand they are just as capable as other young people when provided opportunities. While that hasn’t always been an easy task in her 10 years at the school, there is increasing evidence that she and the Arvin staff are succeeding.

     “Our students have the same aspirations as other teenagers,” she said. “They want a better life than what their parents have. Many want to continue their education after high school, and they want to go into a field that is not seasonal.”

     While the aspirations of Arvin High students are similar to other young people, the road that faces them in reaching their goals can be more challenging. Living in a farming, rural, migrant community, they encounter a number of obstacles ranging from high poverty to having to contribute to their family income.

......more

Click Here to get access to
student driver resources!

Click the image for more!