We must be accountable!

I think that accountability in public schools must be placed on the teacher. Students need to be improving their levels in all subject areas and I think that is a reflection of the teachers ability to work with students and find creative ways to engage them in their learning. I think that teachers should be evaluated somewhat on the performance of the students in their classroom. While their must be some exceptions to this rule, I do believe that most children in a classroom should show certain steps of improvement as they move up in age and grade level. If a student is allowed to simply pass through grade levels without learning materials from the previous grade successfully then it puts them behind and not only does that hurt the child but it hurts the teacher who has that child in the class the following year.

            Teachers should try new things with different students and find new and creative ways to engage each child in the classroom. If something is not working it is not fair to the student to expect them to just do it one way or not learn at all. A good teacher will find different ways to reach out to all students in the classroom. No student is the same and no student should be expected to do everything one way just because the teacher says so.

            If teachers know that they will receive a bonus or higher pay because the students in their classroom show a large margin of improvement then it will encourage them to find new and creative ways to engage students and get them to understand material being taught. I see only positives in holding educators and administrators accountable for student achievement.

            I think this would put teacher morale higher because it would encourage teachers to work together to find new and creative ways to teach. It would encourage them to pay attention to every student in the class and give them the opportunity to learn and grow as a student. No teacher should be afraid of this because it should be used as an incentive to mix up curriculum and do things in a way that will get students excited and engaged in classroom activities.