Teacher Union Activists Protested No Child Left Behind, Now the New Evaluation System in Their Sights

KOB - A public hearing about teacher evaluations drew a lot of attention at the state capitol on Wednesday. Hundreds of teachers, community leaders and parents protested outside the hearing, saying they do not agree with the proposed changes in a new system to evaluate teachers.
The changes are, however, required with New Mexico's "No Child Left Behind" waiver.

Kathy Sandoval, principal of Albuquerque Institute for Math and Science, said her school has implemented the changes. The outcome has been positive.

I've had not one teacher leave the school because of evaluation," Sandoval said. "I've had nobody leave for money - I've had nobody quit or be fired. I've been able to reward highly effective teachers."
The New Mexico Public Education Department explains that with New Mexico ranking so poorly on a national level, New Mexican's deserve to know who the greatest teachers are in the state.
Some teachers, including Ellen Bernstein with the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, feel like it just puts too much emphasis on the state tests.
"It's going to create a bunch of test prep dummies instead of rich thinking, problem solving students," Bernstein explained.
The PED said it will consider public comments before implementing a new evaluation system. There is no time frame as to how long that will take. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Teacher Union Activists Protested No Child Left Behind, Now the New Evaluation System in Their Sights