97% of Michigan teachers rated effective or better

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. 97% is way higher than other states are looking for. Plus, this segment:

>>>And while the Michigan Council on Teacher Effectiveness develops a recommendation for a statewide evaluation tool to be used for teachers, local districts were left to use their own systems or a system provided by the state that slots teachers into four categories — highly effective, effective, minimally effective and ineffective.

Once a statewide tool is approved by lawmakers, all Michigan school districts must use it by 2013-14 unless they obtain a waiver from the council to use a local evaluation tool.>>>

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121129/SCHOOLS/211290474#ixzz2Ei0paItn

The counterargument is going to be: "How can 97% of ANY workforce be 'effective'? Therefore a "solution" will be proffered. A more, ahem, "rigorous" teacher eval sysytem. Something like Danielson, wherein the expected "effective" rate is much lower. ( I'll look for a link.)

Ha! Got it: http://gothamschools.org/2012/01/06/gates-foundation-study-paints-bleak-picture-of-teaching-quality/

The idea is to get cheap labor. That's why Michigan got rid of last-in, first-out. The next step is finding a rationale for dismissing the high salaried educators.

The devil is in the details... in this case it seems to be the above-mentioned, mandated, yet-to-be-identified, "statewide tool."