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Teachers' Unions Concerned About Evaluation Process

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Union leaders representing Connecticut teachers say they agree with many of Governor Malloy’s education reform proposals, but are concerned that new teacher evaluations be used fairly. 

Earlier this year, Connecticut teachers’ unions agreed to a process that evaluates teachers based, in part, on student performance. This plays a key role in Governor Malloy’s education proposals. 

But speaking on WNPR’s Where We Live, Connecticut Education Association executive director Mary Loftus Levine, says teachers want evaluations done fairly, and are concerned about their being tied to certification.

"How do you use evaluation fairly? And the bigger question is why would you tie it to someone’s license? We believe that licensure, just like a lawyer or a hairdresser or a plumber, should not be dependent on one employer, or in our case, a principal’s evaluation."

She says evaluations should be based on multiple factors.  

"Having test scores be a part of that, not the driver of it, to look at teacher practice, to look at how they work with parents, to look at how they work with students and all that, we’ve agreed to a framework."

Teachers have been feeling under fire since Governor Malloy announced an education plan that includes changes to teacher tenure.

President of AFT-CT Sharon Palmer says she’d also like to see Governor Malloy’s exchange his proposal for preschools with his plan for charter schools.

"The governor’s bill slot 500 early childhood students and 2,000 charter school students. I think that should be reversed."

She says an investment in early childhood education would be a better use of the money. 

Diane Orson is a special correspondent with Connecticut Public. She is a longtime reporter and contributor to National Public Radio. Her stories have been heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition and Here And Now. Diane spent seven years as CT Public Radio's local host for Morning Edition.

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