We shouldn’t be afraid of teacher quality metrics just because they have flaws. Instead, we should continually refine those metrics, expect superintendents to articulate local standards of teacher quality for instructional leaders, and give principals the tools and responsibility to apply them in place of the quality-blind personnel policies we have in so many districts around the country. With fiscal pain likely to continue for years to come, we need to get better quality for the same buck if we want to see student outcomes improve.

Chris Tessone responding to the view that value-added models for evaluating teachers aren’t perfect, and therefore we should continue the practice of quality-blind lay-offs.