Don’t link teacher pay to student performance

Dr. Paul Thomas

According to Furman education professor Paul Thomas, linking teacher evaluations to student standardized test scores is a bad idea that will not die. Such evaluation methods join grade retention, charter schools and Common Core as bad policies that are refuted by the research base—resulting in a tremendous waste of time and funding that could be better spent for South Carolina and its students. Thomas wrote a March 6 op-ed on the subject for The State newspaper.

Thomas, who taught English in South Carolina’s public schools for 18 years, joined the Furman education faculty in 2002. He has written commentaries for the Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, Education Week, and The Greenville News.