- “At the elementary level, [value-added] is a pretty reliable measure in terms of predicting how teachers will perform the following year. At the high school level, it is quite a bit less reliable, so the score for using this to improve student outcomes is much more limited.” ~ C. Kirabo Jackson, Northwestern University
- “I understand the need for accountability in teaching. Like many parents, I have been disappointed by a few of my daughters’ teachers, but I truly believe those teachers are the exception, not the rule. Evaluating teachers by standardized tests will not eliminate the bad teachers, but, ironically, will punish the ones who work the hardest.” ~ Eileen Riley-Hall, author, Parenting Girls on the Autism Spectrum
- “The fact that the federal government relies so heavily on other units of government to carry out its initiatives should give pause to any reformer with too grandiose a vision of what presidents or members of Congress can accomplish by passing federal education laws.” ~ Paul Manna, College of William and Mary
- “Reforms work only if there is genuine labor-management collaboration and a sharing of responsibility. Never before Race to the Top was there so much conflict over a grant process, where people were blamed if you didn’t submit an application.” ~ Randi Weingarten, AFT president