Jeanne Allen: Los Angeles Times Report Confirms Need to Base Teacher Contracts, Pay on Performance

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jeanne Allen, the president of The Center for Education Reform (www.edreform.com) today released the following statement in response to the Los Angeles Times' report on student achievement and teacher effectiveness:

"Pathbreaking analysis by the Los Angeles Times confirms without a doubt that teacher effectiveness is not related to their tenure, seniority, or pay grade. Great teachers help their students achieve at significantly high rates as a result of knowing the subjects they teach.

"The new data underscores why policymakers must implement reforms that make teacher quality the single factor that drives pay and contracts. The union rejects the conclusions borne out of this data, saying that the data ignores the 'complicated and creative process of teaching.' Fortunately, the public now understands that teaching isn't about process at all, but about producing real educational value in our schools.

"With continued exposure to school-level data that modern assessments make possible, the era of union control of the classroom is over. It's time to take legislators 'back to school' this month and remind them that teacher quality—and the policies that promote it—are the single most important factors to ensuring long-term student success in school, at work, and in life."

For more information, visit www.edreform.com

SOURCE Center for Education Reform