Column: Message to teachers should be -- How can we help you?

Julie Mack | By Julie Mack | The Kalamazoo Gazette
on January 01, 2011 at 7:00 AM, updated January 02, 2011 at 10:14 PM

The issue of teacher quality has moved to the top of the agenda for American education reform — a development that has makes many teachers feel uncomfortable and defensive.

They perceive it as an attack on their profession; yet another example of blaming teachers for societal woes.

I think that’s absolutely the wrong interpretation. Rather, the discussion on teacher quality should be hailed by teachers as much-needed recognition of the importance of classroom instruction, and how reform efforts need to focus on supporting teachers and maximizing their effectiveness.

Julie Mack mugJulie Mack | Kalamazoo Gazette Opinion
Moreover, no educators can, in good conscience, defend the status quo.  It’s become a hackneyed, but true, cliche that American education desperately needs an overhaul to compete in today’s global economy.

With the disappearance of low-skill, high-wage jobs, a high school diploma and post-secondary education have become more important than ever.

Yet 25 percent of American teenagers do not graduate high school on time and roughly half of the students who go on to college earn a degree within six years.

The high school and college dropout rates are particularly high among African-Americans and Hispanics, a growing segment of the population.

To be sure, putting the sole blame on schools for poor academic outcomes is like blaming the American health-care system for cancer deaths. There are plenty of other factors at work.

Decades of education research show that sociodemographics and a child’s home life are, by far, the biggest predictors of academic success.

But schools do make a difference, and their biggest influence comes in the form of teacher quality.

Educators are fond of saying that students are not like interchangeable widgets. Turns out that teachers aren’t either.

Two studies last year by economists at Harvard and Stanford estimate that a really, really good elementary teacher produces an economic benefit estimated at between $300,000 to $400,000 a year, based on the findings that his or her students earn higher incomes and are less likely to end up in prison or go on welfare.         

At the other end of the spectrum, researchers also has found that an at-risk child who
has three poor elementary teachers in a row is pretty much doomed.

So from the Gates Foundation to policymakers in Michigan and other states to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to various think-tanks, the attention is on teachers and how they are trained, compensated, hired and fired, and evaluated.

The consensus is that there is much room for rethinking on all fronts.

What qualities make for a good teacher and how do we recruit those types of people into the profession?

What does it say about traditional teacher training that instructors in Teach for America are as effective as those who have gone through a four-year education program?

Is it realistic to expect elementary teachers to be jack-of-all-trades, or should we have more specialization?

Why is teacher pay based on seniority and graduate credits, when neither of those contribute much to teacher quality?

Why have teachers spend the time and money on getting master’s degrees when targeted professional development has found to be much more useful?

Is tenure granted too easily, and does it allow poor teachers to stay in their jobs?

On the issue of teacher evaluations: What makes for a good teacher? How should classroom effectiveness be measured? 

How can evaluations be better used to build on teachers’ strengths and address their weaknesses? What kind of supports should schools put in place — such as teacher coaches — to improve classroom instruction?

This is a hugely demanding time to be a K-12 teacher. But it’s also an exciting time.
The message that teachers should hear is this: You are valued. You are important. So how can we help you to do your job better?

Julie Mack is a reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact her at or (269) 388-8578, or follow her on at She also writes a blog called School Zone at