Should parents be able to review teachers at the end of the school year

Should parents be able to review teachers at the end of the school year?
I am frustrated with dead beat teachers that you hear about year after year from other parents but the principal does nothing about. I think that at the end of the year parents should be able to give our childrens teachers performance reviews. Do you think that this would be a good idea and helpful to the principal to see what kind of job the teacher is really doing? I forgot to mention, my children have also had some wonderful teachers that I would like to commend during the review process.
Grade-Schooler - 12 Answers - 2007-05-01 15:13:56

Best Answer
Absolutely! Why stop there? Students should be able to evaluate their teachers as well! I have said this for many years, that (especially in the public school system) teachers should have more pressure to preform better. What happens when a dead-beat teacher comes along? The students complain, in turn the parents complain who go to the school board, who go to the principal, who goes to the superintendent....It's ridiculous! At the middle and end of the year, students and parents should fill out evaluations of staff and they should be taken into consideration when renewing teacher contracts. After all, it's their education, and their money paying the teacher salary- they should have more voice and should be thought of first in such matter! :) *whew* I feel better.

All Answers
Answer 1
I believe that is a good idea, but in my part of the world the school board(elected) oversees any comments about teacher's performance.
2007-05-01 15:20:17

Answer 2
I completely agree. I am a teacher. I work part time with the ESL students and part time with the VAP students and I love to hear what parents think of my performance. I also work with those deadbeat teachers you are talking about and I completely agree something needs to be done! Bring it up with your school board and see what happens and then if need be get as many parents as possible to sign a petition and get it going! I would love to see that in every school and keep lazy teachers on their toes.
2007-05-01 15:22:15

Answer 3
Maybe so, but in that case teachers should be able to review all the dead beat parents that expect schools to parent their children. And anyway, that's what parent teacher conferences are for. In my experience teaching, so many parents complain to the teacher that they should be doing more about their children getting their homework done, etc. It's like they think that because they send their kid to school (especially when it's an independent school!), they shouldn't have to be bothered with their child's progress. The teacher can have hundreds of students, and the parent usually only has a couple of kids. While there are definitely bad teachers out there (I've had them!), I think parents need to take more responsibility for their children's education. When I was a child, my parents taught me loads of things at home before I learned them in school, like how to read, long division, history, etc. In the long run, research has shown that a child's performance in school is more closely related to his background and parental support then to the school and the teacher.
2007-05-01 15:24:22

Answer 4
That is a fabulous idea. I know there are some things my daughters teacher could improve on but I also know there are some things I would love to tell her that I was happy about. That would be nice to give some feedback.
2007-05-01 15:26:38

Answer 5
Definitely! The student should have a chance to review the teacher without the teacher or parents present, the parents should have a chance to review the teacher, and the teacher should have a chance to review the parents (ex. did they show up for conferences? did they make sure their child's homework was completed each night?) Having a clear view of the "big picture" would definitely benefit the student's career and would help the school administrators, teachers and parents approach each child's education in the most effective way possible.
2007-05-01 15:28:48

Answer 7
sure would be a nice idea. but on the other hand. teachers should be able to evaluate parents. i am a parent and im active in school with my sons.but, a lot of parents think they dont need to be involved or parent trheir kids. at least teachers went to colllege. alot of peoplke have kids thinking that gives them clout to tell others how to be.
2007-05-01 15:38:37

Answer 8
I think it's a good idea but remember that it's subjective. If your kid has a personality conflict with a teacher (or you do) you're going to give them a bad rating, even if that teacher was able to reach and effectively educate other kids. I had a teacher that I couldn't stand. My brother loved her. So my mom started out hating her, ended up loving her. But yes, it's a good idea to say thank you to good ones. I think that it's more important to be proactive as parents. I think we need to make sure tha twe make it to parent teacher interviews, stay on top of our kids doing their homework, seeing their grades and like that. If the grades are low, we as parents need to ask the teacher "how can I help you educate my child? What do you think my child needs?" More often than not the teacher will fall over him/herself to help a student whose parents really care.
2007-05-01 15:56:25

Answer 9
Sounds real good to me. They ask our opinion in the south but what they do with it I do not know
2007-05-01 16:01:55

Answer 10
The school my children go to sends a letter home, which is an evaluation on the teacher, other staff, or anything related directly to your child's teacher & their classroom. I was thrilled when I started getting these particular paper's. From what I know it all came about at my children's school due to things like parents' not being available when the teacher's are (vice versa) & also because not all parent's were comfortable speaking about some things & would rather write it out. This idea for this evaluation paper twice a year started simply from a parent, such as yourself, expressing interest.
2007-05-01 16:04:22

Answer 11
If the Principal is a good principal, they would know...I think that in this case, the principal is nto good and this is the one that needs to be investigated.... I really dont think parents should evaluate, because parents ususally do not have the appropriate knowledge on the different areas, such as the discipline domains, academic domains and other educational areas. You need to look at data and other things... Sorry but if you are not happy with the teachers at your school, and you feel that they are not good, please look at the academic level of the school and you will find data that will truly tell you if the teachers at your school are working right or are not...
2007-05-01 17:47:57

Answer 12
I totally agree with you the parents should be able to give teachers reviews at the end of the school. My son is in the 5th grade and I have to say over his whole elementary school years he has had great teachers who are dedicated and caring. His school did real well on the state test this past fall.
2007-05-01 19:01:03