Good teachers admit bad teachers hard to dismiss

Why the problem?
1. Tenure;
2. Quick annual reviews by harried principals, assistant principals or district staff;
3. Inflated evaluations because principals think tenure means they can’t do anything.

But, this can be counteracted. Classroom walk-ins by principals on a regular basis are one way.

Peer reviews, rather than by principals, are another:

In recent years, some educators have been looking to Toledo, Ohio — a district served by about 2,000 teachers — for ideas on how to make evaluations meaningful. There, experienced teachers evaluate first-year teachers and also help determine the fate of seasoned teachers who get poor reviews from their principals.

That said, the story notes increasing pressure from No Child Left Behind to “teach to the test” doesn’t help in weeding out bad teachers.