Rise & Shine: Zooming in on both high- and low-rating teachers

Teacher Data Reports news:

  • Controversial Teacher Data Reports were released. (GothamSchools, DNAInfo, HuffPo, Post, NY1, WSJ)
  • The ratings show that teachers with both high and low scores work in schools across the city. (Times)
  • The city says it found no relationship between schools’ demographics and their teachers’ ratings. (NY1)
  • Some feared a focus on low-scoring teachers, but high-scoring ones are getting attention, too. (Times)
  • On average, schools with top scores on city progress reports had higher-rated teachers. (Daily News)
  • Long-reported swings in year-to-year scores has some skeptical of their value to the public. (WSJ)
  • News outlets that published the ratings varied greatly in their approach to error and reliability. (NY1)
  • The UFT is turning the release, which it opposed, into an opportunity to galvanize members. (Times)
  • The city’s rating release followed a similar, equally controversial release in Los Angeles. (L.A. Times)
  • Just one of the 15 highest-rated teachers is a man, reflecting the dearth of men in city classrooms. (Post)
  • The court decision letting the release take place set a precedent that applies statewide. (Journal News)
  • The ratings’ release could make for some uncomfortable conversations as school resumes today. (WSJ)
  • A Queens teacher who inspired a bully on “The Simpsons” got low scores in reading and math. (Post)
  • The value-added methodology gave several teachers cumulative scores of zero. (PostDaily News)
  • Two Bronx schools, both with high-needs students, have teachers with very different scores. (Post)
  • Parents who ask that their children be moved out of low-rated teachers’ classes won’t have luck. (Post)

And Teacher Data Reports reviews:

  • Some parents at a Queens school where a teacher got a very low score say they want changes. (Post)
  • Chancellor Walcott said this weekend that he thought the ratings were causing healthy dialogue. (Post)
  • A handful of local politicians, including the Staten Island borough president, praised the release. (Post)
  • Other Staten Islanders, including teachers and parents, gave mixed reviews to the release. (S.I. Advance)
  • Many teachers oppose the ratings’ release; some find some value. (Daily News 1, 2)
  • Some parents say they appreciate the information the ratings’ release provides. (Post 1, 2)
  • The Post says the release of the ratings was a victory for kids and transparency of government data.
  • The Daily News says even though the ratings aren’t perfect, they should have been released.
  • A Manhattan Institute scholar says the ratings can be useful if consumed cautiously. (Daily News)

In other news:

  • With diversity declining at Stuyvesant, being a black student can be a lonely experience. (Times)
  • Some churches held services in city schools after a late court decision kept the doors open. (WSJ)
  • City students who overcame great odds to succeed received scholarships from the New York Times.
  • New Jersey’s schools chief wants to remove free lunch eligibility as a definer of poverty. (Star-Ledger)
  • Michael Winerip: Arne Duncan’s ties to Michelle Rhee could cloud a federal investigation of her. (Times)
  • Long obscured, donors to Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst campaign are now being made public. (HuffPo)
  • The Daily News praises the city’s efforts to crack down on graduation rate inflation.

News from midwinter break:

  • An audit prompted the city to overhaul Regents grading and credit recovery policies. (GothamSchools)
  • Our explanation for why we would not publish the teacher ratings with names attached. (GothamSchools)
  • An average of five students a day were arrested in city schools last fall, new data show. (GothamSchools)
  • A city charter school’s closure has spurred talk about how to help struggling charters. (GothamSchools)
  • Despite a new mandate, some schools are still turning away special needs students. (Insideschools)
  • Some state districts had their federal funding restored over evaluations, but not NYC. (GothamSchools)
  • The city actually called off a state hearing to make the case for a funding restoration. (GothamSchools)
  • After the state’s evaluations deal, more city principals signed a petition in opposition. (GothamSchools)