This is one way this process has been validated, from the submitted article: "The responses did indeed help predict which classes would have the most test-score improvement at the end of the year. In math, for example, the teachers rated most highly by students delivered the equivalent of about six more months of learning than teachers with the lowest ratings. (By comparison, teachers who get a master’s degree—one of the few ways to earn a pay raise in most schools —delivered about one more month of learning per year than teachers without one.)
. . . .
"The survey did not ask Do you like your teacher? Is your teacher nice? This wasn’t a popularity contest. The survey mostly asked questions about what students saw, day in and day out.
"Of the 36 items included in the Gates Foundation study, the five that most correlated with student learning were very straightforward:
1. Students in this class treat the teacher with respect.
2. My classmates behave the way my teacher wants them to.
3. Our class stays busy and doesn’t waste time.
4. In this class, we learn a lot almost every day.
5. In this class, we learn to correct our mistakes."
Here is earlier reporting (10 December 2010) from the New York Times about the same issue:
LAST EDIT: I'm amazed at how many of the comments in this thread appear to be about issues thoroughly discussed in the submitted article, but unresponsive to what the submitted article said. On this kind of issue, it's an especially good practice to read the fine article before assuming what is being discussed. We all know about school, but specific proposals for school reform have specific details that make some worse than others, and can be empirically tested.
>I'm amazed at how many of the comments in this thread appear to be about issues thoroughly discussed in the submitted article, but unresponsive to what the submitted article said.
I'm not, unfortunately. It seems like most people read a headline and perhaps a paragraph or two, then active their pre-existing beliefs about whatever the subject happens to me, and move on from there. That's certainly been my experience with commenters on my blog, anyway, and it's been experience in observing both online communities and in reading student papers.
. . . .
"The survey did not ask Do you like your teacher? Is your teacher nice? This wasn’t a popularity contest. The survey mostly asked questions about what students saw, day in and day out.
"Of the 36 items included in the Gates Foundation study, the five that most correlated with student learning were very straightforward:
1. Students in this class treat the teacher with respect.
2. My classmates behave the way my teacher wants them to.
3. Our class stays busy and doesn’t waste time.
4. In this class, we learn a lot almost every day.
5. In this class, we learn to correct our mistakes."
Here is earlier reporting (10 December 2010) from the New York Times about the same issue:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/education/11education.html Here is the website of Ronald Ferguson's research project at Harvard:
http://tripodproject.wpengine.com/about/our-team/
And here are some links about the project from the National Center for Teacher Effectiveness:
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/ncte/news/NCTE_Conference_Using_S...
LAST EDIT: I'm amazed at how many of the comments in this thread appear to be about issues thoroughly discussed in the submitted article, but unresponsive to what the submitted article said. On this kind of issue, it's an especially good practice to read the fine article before assuming what is being discussed. We all know about school, but specific proposals for school reform have specific details that make some worse than others, and can be empirically tested.