February 7, 2012
Evaluating the Straw Man
Photo Courtesy Stock XChange
By Omar Lopez, DFER Policy Analyst
Although people can thoughtfully disagree on the details of the New York State teacher evaluation system, especially since it is still being negotiated, folks who oppose the use of standardized test scores as part of those evaluations are creating a straw man to gather additional opponents.
The straw man argument, where one's argument is misrepresented by an opponent, is most evident in an advertisement by the New York State United Teachers union, which states, "Teachers across the state are committed to high standards and accountability - and we know that a child is more than just a test score."
So here's a question for you: Who is arguing that a child is just a test score?
Could it be Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg? No. They have spent significant political capital in the last two months on making a comprehensive teacher evaluation program a reality. They have both argued that a new teacher evaluation system is a necessary step for New York State to raise the level of instruction. Moreover, they point to the millions of dollars that will be lost if an agreement is not made.
Perhaps they are referring to what they misconstrued as President Barack Obama saying students are being viewed as "just test scores" in his State of the Union address. Wait - didn't he actually mean the complete opposite? In his speech he argued that states should have the resources to keep good teachers on the job and reward the best ones. Evaluating teachers, partly through standardized tests, is the means to that end.
If no one is making the argument that students are just test scores, the only reason why it would be employed at all is because substantive arguments don't hold water. Even when the newest research shows that teacher effectiveness, as measured by standardized tests, has long-term positive effects on students, critics ignore it.
Ultimately, using such a strategy only undercuts their argument. No one will take them seriously if they are misrepresenting the truth.
Beware straw man, it's getting windy.
Omar Lopez has been in the struggle to reform the public education system since being part of the first graduating class of Beginning with Children Charter School in Brooklyn, New York. Before joining DFER his background was in teaching English Language Arts in New York City Public Schools at the 5th, 9th and 11th grade level. Read more about Omar here.