Teachers investigation

A Times analysis, using data largely ignored by LAUSD, looks at which educators help students learn, and which hold them back.

At some elementary schools, students improve their test scores year after year. At others, they stagnate or fall behind. Data that go unused could offer insights into why.

Effective instructors get little recognition. Often their principals don’t even know who they are.

UTLA says the district did not “engage in good faith negotiation” over a new teacher evaluation system that includes use of student test scores. L.A. Unified is seeking volunteers to test the system.

New data include ratings for about 11,500 teachers, nearly double the number covered last August. School and civic leaders had sought to halt release of the data.

The approach focuses on how much progress students make year to year rather than measuring solely their achievement level. Parents are likely to be surprised.

Miguel Aguilar was cited as among L.A. Unified’s most effective in an L.A. Times article on the ‘value-added’ evaluation method. Since then, many at his Pacoima school have adopted his methods. But budget cuts threaten his job.

Los Angeles school district leaders are poised to plunge ahead with their own confidential ‘value-added’ ratings this spring, saying the approach is far more objective and accurate than any other evaluation tool available, despite its complexity.

Teachers and administrators are enthusiastic about new evaluation systems at Fedde International Studies Academy in Hawaiian Gardens, but student test scores have yet to improve.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott signs a far-reaching bill that has raised the ire of state and national unions.

A University of Colorado review of Los Angeles Unified teacher effectiveness also raises some questions about the precision of ratings as reported in The Times.

Manhattan judge’s ruling involves the performance ratings of 12,000 instructors.

Using seniority as the sole factor hurts the learning ability of children, authors say.

Years-long efforts to improve Markham Middle School in Watts included changing the curriculum, reducing class sizes and requiring uniforms. But real progress occurred when more effective teachers were brought in.

Teachers stand firm against larger classes and evaluations using students’ test scores.

It says media access to the evaluations, which name the educators, would cause harm.

Washington is using the controversial ‘value-added’ method to evaluate teachers.

After the budget ax fell, hundreds of the district’s most promising new instructors were laid off. Campuses in poorer areas — such as Liechty Middle School in the Westlake neighborhood — were disproportionately hurt.

Some see them as obstacles, and even sympathizers agree their voice is muted.