Report Cards for Teachers?

In the ongoing effort to overhaul the city's schools, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is introducing a new way to evaluate the education their students are getting: Rate the teachers. The progress of students will be compared to students at similar levels across schools over three years; factors like poverty and special–needs students will be considered. Klein is trying to introduce accountability to the system, but may face some contention from the teachers' union. This sounds intriguing but seems ripe with some stumbling blocks (teachers are accountable to a degree, but what about the students' home life). Additionally, most NYers find the city school system lacking, though there is some hope in what the Bloomberg administration is doing to turn things around.