Last spring while at a school function on a Wednesday evening, I let my mind wander to calculate how much time I spent at work that week. Later that night on the ride home I hit 40 hours. I don’t share this to boast; I know that our principals and teachers have similar weeks and as salaried employees we accept that there are times when we will work long hours. With this in mind, it is interesting to follow the teacher evaluation conversation that is sweeping the country. Many of the states are upping the ante and requiring a more rigorous teacher and principal evaluation process. Alaska’s version of this is out for comment right now. What’s lost in this conversation is that the new systems, while better than the old, are much more time intensive. I know that we are proud of our new system, but recognize that due to time constraints, we can only require our principals and administrators to utilize parts of it. So while state departments are tasked with leading the way, they should not lose sight of their well intentioned requirements straining a district.
New items and time
Last spring while at a school function on a Wednesday evening, I let my mind wander to calculate how much time I spent at work that week. Later that night on the ride home I hit 40 hours. I don’t share this to boast; I know that our principals and teachers have similar weeks and as salaried employees we accept that there are times when we will work long hours. With this in mind, it is interesting to follow the teacher evaluation conversation that is sweeping the country. Many of the states are upping the ante and requiring a more rigorous teacher and principal evaluation process. Alaska’s version of this is out for comment right now. What’s lost in this conversation is that the new systems, while better than the old, are much more time intensive. I know that we are proud of our new system, but recognize that due to time constraints, we can only require our principals and administrators to utilize parts of it. So while state departments are tasked with leading the way, they should not lose sight of their well intentioned requirements straining a district.