Also, merit based on student grades isn't going to be a true test. Let's take my son as a great example. In English class, he does the homework and projects, but for whatever reason HE DOES NOT TURN IT IN. So, he gets an F for that homework/project. He gets A's on the tests he takes. It's not the teacher's fault that my son refuses to turn in the work.
When he takes the yearly state exam for English, he tests as "advanced." But his grade in class is still an F because he won't turn in the work. Was the teacher good, bad, or did my son just be a slacker, as usual? Why is that the teacher's fault? You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.
Now I agree that a teacher should be evaluated on performance, I just don't know what the metric should be for that performance. Perhaps it should be many things so when there is a failure at one point (like a student not turning in their work), the teacher isn't punished across the board for that one failure.
Uh good luck taking on the teachers' union.
Also, merit based on student grades isn't going to be a true test. Let's take my son as a great example. In English class, he does the homework and projects, but for whatever reason HE DOES NOT TURN IT IN. So, he gets an F for that homework/project. He gets A's on the tests he takes. It's not the teacher's fault that my son refuses to turn in the work.
When he takes the yearly state exam for English, he tests as "advanced." But his grade in class is still an F because he won't turn in the work. Was the teacher good, bad, or did my son just be a slacker, as usual? Why is that the teacher's fault? You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.
Now I agree that a teacher should be evaluated on performance, I just don't know what the metric should be for that performance. Perhaps it should be many things so when there is a failure at one point (like a student not turning in their work), the teacher isn't punished across the board for that one failure.
Oh that's right. The hidden hand of the teachers union.