Dive Brief:
- Tennessee's State Board of Education approved a plan that would reward teachers who consistently score high on the state's mandated teacher evaluations.
- Under the proposed plan, high-scoring educators can skip training required for advancement or license renewal.
- According to The Tennessean, the final vote on the matter will happen later this month.
Dive Insight:
Rewarding hard-working teachers is always a good idea. Many times, the training required for renewal and advancement of licenses can feel redundant, so giving teachers who are already doing well a break will probably be greatly appreciated.
That said, the fact that these license classes are not challenging or eye-opening points to a bigger issue. The professional development surrounding teaching should have more rigor. It should be the type of stuff where teachers want to be a part of these classes in order to reflect on their own practices, since, as we already know, no matter how long you've been teaching, you can always learn something new for your classroom.
