New York Times Op Ed on Teacher Evaluations

There is a very good op ed piece on teacher evaluations in today's New York Times (Want to Ruin Teacher? Give Ratings). The central principles behind this article come straight out of organizational theory, highlighting the importance of having the principal, rather than an arbitrary system, as teacher evaluator. In effect, the article is arguing for the power of natural hierarchies of authority and accountability.

There is absolutely no difference between the concepts presented here and the message I share in my chapter on organizational factors. They are the same principles and reflect the same problems. Teachers cannot work effectively with outside pressures that supersede the organizational structure of the school system. Children cannot thrive under policies that supplant the organizational structure of the family. When homework is not a problem, it is not a problem largely because the family hierarchies remain in tact. When homework is a problem, it is a huge problem because it puts parents in a position of having responsibility without authority. I explain this problem further in Chapter 5, The Systems Effect, of my book, The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents Students and Teachers.

Dr. Kenneth Goldberg, is the author of The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Teachers, and Students, published by Wyndmoor Press.