Haste makes waste in education

New York City education administrators should try to learn from the mistakes of their counterparts in Tennessee where a rush to implement a complicated new teacher evaluation system has overwhelmed administrators with paperwork and demoralized staff members concerned about being improperly and unfairly rated.

The new teacher evaluation rules, which have been in place in Tennessee for less than a year, already have legislators there calling for full implementation to be postponed for next year at the very least, and state education officials there have already eased observation requirements on principals to address the outcry.

The new evaluation system was part of Tennessee’s successful effort to become one of the first two states to win a federal Race to the Top grant worth $501 million last year. It links teachers’ evaluations to student test scores and requires principals to observe educators at least four times annually and evaluate them up to six times per year.

While it might sound good in theory, the system has proved to be very problematic in practice. Principals complain that the multiple observations and evaluations leave them little time to tend to their other important responsibilities. Because there are no student test scores for teachers of art, music, physical education and vocational education or for teachers in kindergarten to 3rd grade, all these teachers are being evaluated based on other teachers’ test scores.

Few would argue against the need for urgency when it comes to improving education in our nation’s schools. But haste often comes at a price, and the resulting outcomes can end up doing more harm than good in the long run.

Editorials in some of New York City’s tabloid newspapers have criticized the UFT for what they consider to be resistance to a new teacher evaluation system. The fact is the union is simply trying to make sure that any new system is well thought out and fair to educators. Our version is a sea change to the current system that will be focused on professional growth and development — not be a “gotcha” tool.

Education is both a science and an art, and crafting best practices and sound policies requires time to ensure optimal results. That’s why every effort should be made to get things right the first time — even if it takes longer to do so.