In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week last week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has published an open letter to American teachers. In Education Week, he writes that as someone working most of his life in education, he has “a deep and genuine appreciation for the work [teachers] do.” He wants to see the profession treated with honor and dignity, and wants to work with teachers to “change and improve federal law” and “to develop a system of evaluation that draws on meaningful observations and input from your peers, as well as a sophisticated assessment that measures individual student growth, creativity, and critical thinking.” Together, Duncan says they can transform teaching from the model of a century ago to one built for the information age. This era will have an accountability system based on “data we trust” that “recognizes and rewards great teaching, gives new or struggling teachers the support they need, and deals fairly, efficiently, and compassionately with teachers who are simply not up to the job.” And, he points out, in the next decade, half of America’s teachers will likely retire. What is done to recruit, train, and retain new teachers will shape public education in this country for a generation. “As that work proceeds, I want you to know that I hear you, I value you, and I respect you,” Duncan writes. [PEN Weekly]
To read the full letter, visit http://tinyurl.com/3p8y35d
