Stimulus pushes states to judge teachers on student achievement

WASHINGTON — Teachers should be judged on student performance, though not solely on test scores, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday.

Duncan supports merit pay for teachers, an often controversial practice linking raises or bonuses to student achievement. It is opposed by many teachers' union members, who make up a powerful segment of the Democratic Party.

He said test scores alone should not decide a teacher's salary.

"But to somehow suggest we should not link student achievement to teacher effectiveness is like suggesting we judge sports teams without looking at the box score," said Duncan, who played professional basketball in Australia.

Duncan is using federal stimulus dollars to press the issue.

States and school districts will compete later this year for a piece of a $5 billion fund to reward those that adopt innovations the Obama administration supports. Applications will be available in July, and money should be awarded starting early next year.

Whether officials tie student data to teacher evaluation will be a consideration, Duncan said.

"Believe it or not, several states, including New York, Wisconsin and California, have laws that create a firewall between student and teacher data," Duncan said.

"Think about that — laws that prohibit us from connecting children to the adults who teach them," Duncan said.

In several districts around the country including Chicago, where Duncan ran the public schools, merit pay systems have been created with support from teachers' unions. He says he wants it done with teachers, not to teachers.

Duncan will also consider whether states are encouraging charter schools, which are similarly controversial. He wants charter schools to play a role in his effort to convince thousands of communities to close low-performing schools and reopen them with new principals and teachers.

Charter schools are publicly funded but operate independently of local school boards, often free from the constraints of union contracts in traditional public schools. As a result, they are hotly opposed by teachers and other critics who say they drain money and talent from other public schools.

Duncan has criticized states where lawmakers have resisted charter schools. Illinois is among 26 states that limit the number of charter schools, though lawmakers recently agreed to raise the state's cap. Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee have blocked a bill to let more children enroll in charter schools.

He also singled out Maine and Indiana for similar resistance on a conference call Monday with reporters and education groups.

Duncan repeated his warning that states will hurt their chances to compete for extra stimulus dollars if they fail to embrace innovations like charter schools.

"They are putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage for the largest pool of discretionary dollars states have ever had access to," Duncan said.