This won't fly until the same thing happens to principals. And what measurements do we use? Test Scores? Hah! There is already such a negative stigma attached to these results, and they've already been used to justify umpteen stupid decisions and we know that some principals will do anything to keep their schools looking as if they were moving.

I, for one, am in favor of changing the rules for retaining and reimbursing competent teachers. However, I have been through similar policies in two other states and the obstacles are many. How do you correct for bias by principals and other administrators in evaluation policy? How do you measure the test results so that people who teach special education or ESL populations are not penalized for doing so? How do you provide assistance for those marginal teachers who, for various reasons, can't or won't accept help? Lastly, in this economy, who is going to pay for all of this? Yes, there are teachers who shouldn't be teaching but there have always been. And, if we keep placing more and more criteria for acceptance into the profession without equalizing compensation, how do we attract those who would make good teachers? We already have to import people to teach in inner city schools. Why would someone come into a situation where they know that conditions for continuing employment will be even higher? If teachers are to be judged in this way, they must be compensated accordingly and that, my friends, will not happen in my lifetime.

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In Baltimore County, speech teachers, physical and occupational therapists, guidance counselors, reading specialists, STEM teachers, special educators, school nurses, special area (art, vocal music, instrumental music, physical education, technology education, library/media) teachers, and resource teachers (these teachers work at the central office and present staff development training to teachers--usually at faculty meetings in individual schools) are all on the same negotiated contract as classroom teachers. How will those folks be evaluated and compensated according to Nancy's new system?

What if a lot of kids can't sing on-key or can't remember the words to songs? What if more than half a school population is overweight and/or out of shape? What if a large number of 2nd graders are unable to log on to a computer or correctly save a document before logging off? Will the music, P.E., and tech. ed. teachers be punished with low pay and/or poor evaluations? How will Nancy determine the effectiveness of the nurse or the guidance counselor? If the reading specialist is unable to move below-level readers to grade-level, will she be evaluated negatively? What if despite a year or more of therapy, a child still doesn't produce the /ch/ sound correctly? Should the speech therapist be put on an improvement plan? Maybe the librarian's salary will be based on how many of the students return books on time--or how many of them can demonstrate an understanding of the Dewey Decimal system. How will the resource teachers be evaluated? Their only students are other teachers. Maybe their pay could be determined by how well the students of the teachers they taught perform! I bet EVERYONE will want that job!

Rather than treating us ALL with the respect we deserve, and providing us ALL with the resources (materials, time, and personnel) required to perform our jobs effectively, Nancy wants to save money by being divisive. She can start by paying herself less, getting rid of her administrative assistant, as well the assistants of all the people at the state department. They should all make their OWN copies, collect, enter, and analyze their OWN data, and personally communicate directly with interested stakeholders (like parents, students, and teachers, for starters). Then perhaps the public can decide if Nancy and her minions are performing their jobs satisfactorily, or if THEY need to be placed on an improvement plan--the first step to removing ineffective school employees.

I'd love to see Nancy Grasmick try to do my job--or any of my colleagues' jobs--effectively for a few days.

What about principal reform? The talk is always about substandard teachers, but there are certainly many substandard principals in the field as well.

Taffy - I think you sized up the situation perfectly! Bet you are an awesome teacher.

What about superintendent reform?

What about superintendent reform? I'd love to see that in Baltimore County before we pay dearly for the most recent decisions.

@PinkShad - Of the 201 schools in the City Schools, 91 have a new principal within the last two years. Got some ideas of where to find great replacements for those "substandard principals" you mention? The mythic belief that "there's a supply of better people out there" is simply not true.

Just once I'd like to see the educational hierarchy think through a proposal completely before going public. After almost forty years in the classroom, I'm convinced that they run their mouths to get people fired up about all the wrong things. We teachers are easy targets. We can't always fix what comes to us broken. We try, but our hands often get tied behind our backs with meaningless rules and ill-conceived initiatives. I continue to teach because I love what I do, and I believe I CAN make a difference. But it's getting to be very frustrating...

You are dead on with that Bill - in the last supervisory course that I took, most of the participants had leass that 3 years of classroom teaching experience. Several were from my home school and were absolutely lousy teachers. Many new teachers now strive to move quickly from the headaches of the classroom to the front office to make the "big" $$. Most find out quickly that the the headaches and frustrations experienced by the principal and AP are worse than that of the classroom.

Talented and effective teachers who would make the best administrators and who truly know instruction tend to stay in the classroom where they can make a real difference, have flexibility during the summer and don't spend all of their time dealing with oppressive central office staff, crazy kids and even crazier parents. Things have gotten so bad in the AP pool that I think the system has given up and realized that they simply need warm bodies to deal with discipline, parents and the logitstics of running the school. Instructional support comes from department chairs - who incidentally usually have multiple preps and no time to really observe or support teachers in their departments.

It would be great if the solution was as simple as Ms. Grasmick would lead us all to believe.

What's really sad is that the solution to schools is really simple - small classes, strict consistent discipline, on-going effective professional development, and accountability at all levels. Take all of the dollars spent on fancy technology like multi-million dollar virtual learning labs, new textbooks every other year, central office positions, AIM, and online assessments and hire and effectively train teachers. Duh!

@ realteacher

Its a pleasure to read your comments. I'm affected by your mix of warmth and cool-headedness.

Please tell me more about how "things have gotten so bad in the AP pool" that you have reason to believe the system has given up and simply needs "warm bodies to deal with discipline," etc. Some might see this supposed decision as a mistake. But I'm heartened by it. Is this my own contrarian nature coming through, or are you happy about this as well?

I am the spouse of a new city school teacher who according to all independent feedback by observers in his classroom has been doing a great job motivating his 4th grade students in Baltimore City to learn math. He was also recently told he is being displaced, and losing his post at his school mid-year. Meanwhile there is a teacher who has been in the system for 3 years across the hall who teaches the same students (they spend a half day in each room). She comes in late often, shows movies instead of teaching whenever she can get away with it, and her classroom routinely breaks out in fights. The principal would rather release the incompetent teacher, but has been informed by BCPSS that this is not an option. Last in first out.

My point: there are young, energetic and talented teachers interested in teaching in the city. Why are we letting teachers like this stand in between these students and the people who could help them learn?

I used to be a strong union supporter. After watching this travesty, I think both the teachers' union and the administrators' union should be dismantled.

@ a teacher
True - put lousy teachers in the front office to put out fires. Problem 1 - the system still gives them the power to make instructional decisions. Problem 2 - these are the folks that observe and attempt to provide worthwhile feedback to teachers. Problem 3 - most of these folks recognize that they were lousy teachers and are threatened by department chairs or curriculum and instruction folks who try to provide feedback. Problem 4 - the only real way to make more money in the system is to become an administrator - there is no financial incentive to become a great teacher. If you want to tie merit pay into test scores forget it - usually the best teachers are placed in classrooms with the toughest kids who fail to perform for reasons that go well beyond the control of the classroom teacher. The worst teachers are sent to the classes and schools with the top kids.

Somehow we have to reward teachers for moving challenging kids forward and for working in tough schools. We have to make the tough schools a more managable place to work - I was in tough schools for 16 years and it literally was killing me - that simply should not be the case.

Lets invest in common sense - it terrifies me to think of how the politicians and EdD wonks plan to define "teacher effectiveness" and ties it to a paycheck!! As for tenure - absolutely - 4 years minimum and 10 to become and administrator!