Wyoming Representatives Introduce Legislation To Videotape Teacher Performance Statewide

From the release of 12,000 teacher scores in New York, to California's educational overhaul that hopes to see payoff by 2025, schools are scrambling to find a way to gauge teacher performance with accuracy and accountability.

The Casper Star-Tribune reported on two pieces of legislature presented to Wyoming's senate that present a new way to view educators in action: through the lens of a video camera.

Wyoming Rep. Steve Harshman understands that the idea sounds a bit "Big Brother", but defended his position to the Christian Science Monitor:

"It isn't an Orwellian thing."

As a high school teacher himself, he told the Casper Star-Tribune that the technique is intended to provide a self-help mechanism rather than a spirit of omnipresence.

"The key is being able to see yourself teach."

Compulsory taping has been used before to screen would-be teachers as a part of their accreditation process, as reported by the Associated Press.

However, the Wyoming legislation would create a precedent, mandating the ongoing taping of teachers for their yearly evaluations.

Some are skeptical of the effectiveness of the method. Former Boston school principal Kim Marshall told the Christian Science Monitor that he prefers the effectiveness of face-to-face contact.

"Could you do [the evaluation] by looking at the camera? Yes, but I think it's far better to get into the classroom...and talk to the kids and look at the work they are doing. [A camera] might become an excuse for the principal to just sit in the office...looking at the screen."

Some believe there is value in the investment. John Marrow, education correspondent for PBS NewsHour and author of "The Influence of Teachers", recently blogged in support of videotaping in the classroom.

"Properly used, video can transform learning, but it's a tool, a piece of technology that has to be harnessed to specific learning objectives."

Read more about Wyoming's taping legislation at the Christian Science Monitor.

How do you feel about video taping in schools?

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Should videotaping teachers be mandated by the government?

Yes! We should know what our teachers are doing in their classrooms.

No! This feels a little too Big Brother creepy.

Not sure how I feel about this. Maybe I should bring my Flip camera to school?

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Comments

[gilbskg]

12:54 PM on 02/13/2011

I've been teaching inner city students for over 20 years, and my relationship with them is based on the trust they have in me. That goes right out the window with a camera in the corner.

[AmeriGus]

03:13 PM on 01/30/2011

This headline was misleading - I thought the article was about monitoring students in the classroom. I teach in a school where student disruption is the primary problem. I welcome cameras as long as students will be held accountable for things like throwing items, fighting, leaving their seats and horseplay.

Technology can let the eye of the administrator into the room, but also the parent, the police, personal injury lawyers and the rest of the public. If this is coming, let's embrace it to improve schools holistically, not just to hold against the teacher. Again, I am for it - equitably.

In my school, the teachers can barely teach because kids have not been trained by their parents and previous teachers how to sit still, why learning matters, or any of the basics. Anyone looking in on my class would see me applying all sorts of classroom management techniques, but student "drama" persisting. It's an all-year-long task then, to ameliorate problems and maximize learning time, but my door can burst open from students I don't even know, invading the room to disrupt the "goody goody" kids. What then?

Would they take action then to assign counselors, make placement moves or send social workers into the house? I doubt it - administrators in my school would be overwhelmed and probably prefer not to open Pandora's box. This is why so many schools fail - students are intentionally disrupting classrooms and the teachers have little or no recourse.

[Swedenworks]

10:13 AM on 01/30/2011

How about cameras that record the working day of politicians? Police officers when they're not in their cars? Firemen while they're in the station? All civil servants are accountable. I want a video of those back room deals and those 3 hour lunches on my dime.

[Dreamofflowers]

11:52 PM on 02/01/2011

Swedenworks, good point! How about we put cameras everywhere!

[tosc]

09:49 AM on 01/30/2011

I think it is a WONDERFUL idea....and I am a teacher. Make it so the parents can log in at any time and view their child's behavior in the classroom. Hell, they do it at the doggy day care I take my dog too. I can log in at anytime and view her interactions. Would save alot on Parent Conference disputes on behavior issues.

[roudy]

07:56 PM on 01/29/2011

If this is such a great idea then why not tape everyone 24 hours a day, a la "1984".

[roudy]

07:50 PM on 01/29/2011

Now if we just had electricity in those schools we could operate the cameras.

[Ghoulish]

12:20 PM on 01/28/2011

I would have loved a camera in my classroom when I was a teacher. I can't think of a better way to prove to parents that their child isn't learning/doing well because THEY are not paying attention, participating, or doing their work and not because I wasn't doing MY job. This country would see pretty quickly that our education woes are primarily due to lazy, unmotivated students who want learning to fall into their brains with no effort and not "bad" teachers.

[zyxwvutsrqpo]

07:37 AM on 01/28/2011

The kids would hate it.

[GlennWatson]

09:30 PM on 01/26/2011

I was thinking about this all day long in class. I kept thinking OK, would I say this or that if the parents were watching? Would I say that? How would a parent take it if I joked with or disciplined their kids like i just did. Would I try to perform at a higher level if I knew I wqas being watched? Would I goof off less? Would I keep the kids busier? Would I be stiffer? Would the kids be better behaved if they knew mom might be watching? These are questions I would like answers to.

[Dreamofflowers]

11:56 PM on 02/01/2011

How could you possibly be natural? Talk about "Big Brother." Why don't we just get robots to do the teaching?

[tygerburing]

11:02 AM on 01/26/2011

What fails to be mentioned in this article is what the video feed is specifically going to be used for. Wyoming is currently also trying to get rid of continuing contract for teachers. These videos would then be the basis of whether teachers were rehired year to year. The teachers and class would never be told when they were being video taped, so how could they know what segment of all this video taping would be used in the evaluation? What a pleasant surprise.

Even more disconcerting though is the the people to evaluate this video would be a principal and a parent. Teachers must be highly qualified in order to get and maintain their jobs, but any parent could be in charge of saying wether a teacher was doing their job. Yes, they have kids, but that does not make them experts on pedigogy.And it definitely means they can't be impartial and fair!

But most diconcerting of all is the very real potential that this could all be violating FERPA. Many students should not be taped for legal reasons (ie parents went through a nasty divorce and there's a fear the family's location could be traced by the estranged family member though the tapes etc.) The entire thing is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

[prettyfnliberal]

11:00 AM on 01/26/2011

i think it's a brilliant idea. these teachers are at work. they are in charge of our children all day while we are at work. we have a right to see how they are doing, and if the camera's make them act like better teachers, then it's a win win situation. if they don't like being monitored while they do their job, i implore them to try and find another line of work where they aren't being watched by their bosses.

no teacher should have any problem with cameras in the classroom unless they have something to hide. like bad teaching methods.

[zyxwvutsrqpo]

07:37 AM on 01/28/2011

Teaching is social engagement. No one can be natural and genuine on camera. That camera will be a constant barrier between your child and his/her teacher connecting in any significant way. You would be making a difficult job even tougher.

[CarmenIbanez]

10:44 PM on 01/28/2011

Well in this case I want all doctors filmed, all law enforcement officer filmed, all firemen. These people are people who exercise a great deal of power and control over other people and they should be filmed as well. In fact, I think you should be filmed at your job. Or do you not have a very important job? I guess if you aren't important like a teacher you don't need to be filmed. Or maybe you have something to hide. You sound ridiculous.

[Daisytoo]

03:33 PM on 01/29/2011

In many (if not all) states, tax paid cops are filmed by video from their patrol cars. Doctors are not being paid (yet) by taxpayers. Many private offices as well as other work settings do, in fact, have surveillance cameras.

It's a good idea for teachers to be filmed while working; it holds both teachers and students accountable to taxpayers.

[GlennWatson]

08:33 AM on 01/26/2011

I am not opposed to the idea of taping class but I fear there would be a lot of unintended consequences. The taping might create a lot of stress for teachers and students. It might prevent students from asking question or joining discussions. It might be expensive. Would someone be paid to to watch the tapes? Would the tape be available for anyone to watch? How long would they be saved? Would teachers stop bringing up controversial topics? Waht about personal issue that do come up in class. What about angry outbursts from students and yes teachers? They do occur on both sides.

I would like to see a pilot program for this idea and I volunteer my high school class.

Two more questions. Will the video be HD and do I have to wear stage makeup?

[eric14]

07:18 AM on 01/26/2011

Taping can facilitate research into use of teacher class time. What percentage of time is used for teaching; what percentage for control & management issues? For whole class teaching? For sub-group teaching? For individual attention?

[rosemwelch]

03:14 AM on 01/26/2011

My mother-in-law has been a teacher longer than I've been alive, and she's been a proponent of taped classrooms for years.

[CarmenIbanez]

10:47 PM on 01/28/2011

Any teacher worth their salt knows that filming the classroom will result in more parents being embarrassed by their children's behavior than in teachers being embarrassed.

[GlennWatson]

12:13 AM on 01/26/2011

I have no problem with this as long as the camera is also taping the students. I would like parents to see what I see. The nose picking alone would be enlightening for all. By the way, I teach high school.

[eric14]

07:19 AM on 01/26/2011

Agreed. Teacher voice required, It is students that should be taped.