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Six education and business groups have released an analysis of Connecticut’s education reform legislation. The group includes the Connecticut Association of Schools, the CT Council for Education Reform, CBIA, CABE, CAPSS and ConnCAN. They say that the bill will jumpstart reforms, but stress - there’s more to be done.
Around the hot-button issue of teacher evaluation, the group supports the plan to use multiple measures of effectiveness – and the focus on student outcomes. They also support the requirement that “ineffectiveness”, not just “incompetence” can be grounds for dismissal.
The University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education will play a key role as the new teacher evaluation system is piloted next year.
The Neag School has been asked to monitor the state’s new teacher evaluation program. It will start with a pilot this fall in 8 – 10 school districts.
Casey Cobb is head of the school’s Educational Leadership department..
"It’s a hot political item for sure. We’ll task certain faculty members and researchers with going out in the field and actually observing the teacher eval system as it happens."
Cobb says the intent is not to create a kind of “gotcha” system, but one that offers real time, meaningful information about the way educators do their jobs and how they can improve.
"It will also I think raise the bar and make it more easy, I think, to steer teachers away from the profession who may not be right for it."
The Neag School will issue a report on for the General Assembly. Overall, Cobb says the best way UConn can contribute to education reform is by doing a good job preparing future teachers, principals and superintendents.
