Ed cetera
Join the informed, opinionated journalists of The Times' editorial staff in lively discussions at our blog Ed Cetera.
Comments (0)
E-mail article
Print
Share
Human Capital in Seattle Public Schools
Posted by Lynne Varner
The above headline is the title of a report upon which I based my column today arguing for performance-based pay for teachers. I went beyond the should we, shouldn't we, argument - we absolutely should! - to examine what kind of evaluation system would need to be in place before districts could determine a teacher's merit and thus, their pay.
This report by the National Council on Teacher Quality goes beyond the merit pay issue to offer a sharp and prescriptive look at how Seattle manages its teaching corps. Many things I knew, such as Seattle gives its biggest payraises to its most experienced teachers, leaving newer teachers - who might be performing better - out in the cold. But I didn't know about the correlation between a school's poverty rate and teacher absences. Ok, some of you might say this one is a no brainer. A teacher presiding over a wild and large class might be more likely to take more time off or burn out sooner. But the impact of frequent and prolonged teacher absences on student learning is something I don't hear the adults in this conversation talk about.
I dug out this Washington Post article on President Obama's efforts to use federal grants to spur more districts into experimenting with merit pay.
Oh, and the New Yorker article I mentioned is titled "The Rubber Room" and can be found here. What I found most distressing about the piece, and this one about Seattle teachers, is that it takes an appropriate protection like due process and pushes it out into bizarro world. It shouldn't take years to fire an employee. At the end, when the firing is upheld, can the school district ask for the years of salary back? An extreme level of due process may sound attractive but the costs, financial and otherwise, are borne by all of us.
Feb 9 - 9:09 AM Legislature moving on anti-sex trafficking bills
Feb 7 - 2:53 PM Adding color to the education reform debate
Feb 2 - 9:35 AM Victory on gay marriage: History in the making
Jan 30 - 12:49 PM Show time in Olympia on gay marriage
Jan 30 - 11:55 AM Rewind: Live chat on higher education


- Lakewood cop accused of embezzling $150K meant for slain officers' families
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Agency set to investigate handling of 911 call about Josh Powell
- Quick decisions: How Washington hired its new football staff
- Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looms
- Justin Wilcox's versatile defensive style is the right fit for Huskies | Jerry Brewer
- It's Terrence Time: Enigmatic Ross leads Huskies
- Social worker recounts minutes before Powell fire
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- Club promoter convicted in brutal 2010 murder of Des Moines prostitute
- Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature
434 - Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looming
346 - Sheriff's office unhappy with 911 dispatcher in caseworker's call
282 - 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
235 - Source: NY, California to sign mortgage settlement
208 - Oregon live game thread
153 - Pac-12 picks ... including the UW game
140 - Lakewood cop accused of taking donations for slain officers' families
114 - Department of Justice owes the Seattle Police Department an apology
88 - Thursday morning links --- and a video!!!
72
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- State Medicaid program to stop paying for unneeded ER visits
- One man's audacious pursuit of sailing history
- Darren Berg gets 18-year sentence for Ponzi scheme
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- A wandering gene's destructive path | Book review
- 'Gauguin and Polynesia': dazzling mix-and-match | Art review
- UW opening incubator facility for startups
- Controversial principal at Lowell Elementary takes job in Tacoma
- Lakewood cop accused of embezzling $150K meant for slain officers' families

Achenblog by Joel Achenbach
Andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com
Antagonistic Ink
blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail
Blatherwatch.blogs.com
Daily Democracy
Meganmcardle.theatlantic.com
Postman On Politics
thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com
Volokh.com
www.antiwar.com
www.crosscut.com
www.economist.com
www.forbes.com
www.freepress.net
www.horsesass.org
www.journalism.org
www.mediaaccess.org
www.nationalreview.com
www.reason.com
www.seattle.indymedia.org
www.soundpolitics.com
www.techcentralstation.com
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.theamericancause.com
www.washblog.com






