Through the influence of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has provided money for many different educational studies in recent years, Bill Gates has become an influential name in education.
It might be expected that Gates would support educational reforms more along the lines of the privatization-corporatization model as well as support reforms that involve technology, and that may be generally true, but in a recent op-ed piece in the Washington Post, Gates calls for balanced teacher evaluations that incorporate factors beyond simply student test scores.
Gates first highlights what he sees as an over-zealous attitude by some states to develop standardized tests. For example, he mentions how “in one Midwestern state, for example, a 166-page Physical Education Evaluation Instrument holds teachers accountable for ensuring that students meet state-defined targets for physical education, such as consistently demonstrating ‘correct skipping technique with a smooth and effortless rhythm’ and ‘strike consistently a ball with a paddle to a target area with accuracy and good technique.’ I’m not making this up!”
Gates believes it is this over-zealous approach to standardized testing that has engendered the backlash against it: “This is one reason there is a backlash against standardized tests — in particular, using student test scores as the primary basis for making decisions about firing, promoting and compensating teachers. I’m all for accountability, but I understand teachers’ concerns and frustrations.”
In summary, Gates wants a teacher evaluation system that incorporates multiple measures, including standardized tests, and that actually helps teachers know how to make improvements. Gates predicts that teachers will be more supportive of such initiatives: “If we aren’t careful to build a system that provides feedback and that teachers trust, this opportunity to dramatically improve the U.S. education system will be wasted. The fact is, teachers want to be accountable to their students. What the country needs are thoughtfully developed teacher evaluation systems that include multiple measures of performance, such as student surveys, classroom observations by experienced colleagues and student test results.”
Following is the link to the op-ed: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bill-gates-a-fairer-way-to-evaluate-teachers/2013/04/03/c99fd1bc-98c2-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_story.html
And a link to the Gates Foundation education page: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/US-Program/College-Ready-Education
