Dallas Mayor Rawlings has signed two education resolutions at the Conference of Mayors in Orlando. He says they send a message that improved academic outcomes are a top priority.
One resolution wants teacher assessments based on student performance. Mayor Rawlings believes the document can make a difference by showing that education matters in every city, not just a select few, like Dallas.
One resolution wants teacher assessments based on student performance. Mayor Rawlings believes the document can make a difference by showing that education matters in every city, not just a select few, like Dallas.
Rawlings: This calls for fifty percent of the objective measures of a teacher be based on student outcomes. I think that’s what we all care about. We care about student outcomes and how they’ll perform. And If I was a teacher I would want to be graded on my performance in that regard. And it’s very consistent with where we’re moving as a city.
Some teacher groups have criticized similar reform efforts, but Rawlings says the resolution takes teacher’s concerns into consideration.
Rawlings: The place where I hear most rational push back is that “what are these objective measures going to be?” This resolution says this should be supported by a round table of different folks. It should be dealt by professionals in several parts of the school system.
Rawlings says he cares about great teachers who’ve taught well for years. If they’ve taught for years, but haven’t delivered, he says, we need people that perform. The other resolution seeks a more cooperative, less confrontational relationship among charter schools, cities and public schools.
