It seems that almost everyone has an opinion on how to reform our country’s education system. From NCLB supporters to home school gurus, the one thing we seem to agree on is that something is broken and it is time to make some changes. Perhaps the change that will have the biggest impact on our children is a change in the role that our teachers play. What would happen if we held our teachers to a higher standard? Expected them to become true leaders? What roles would they play in our children’s lives?

* Data Coach: The information age, technology and even standardized tests have given our teachers never before seen access to data. Tomorrow’s teachers will actively seek this data out and utilize to better structure their teaching plans.
* Mentor: Tomorrow’s teachers won’t just teach their students, they will also mentor new teachers, ensuring that each new generation of teachers is held to the same high standards.
·Facilitator: Educational opportunities come from more than just the classroom; tomorrow’s teachers will help their students take advantage of opportunities.
* Instructional Specialist: Everyone learns a bit differently, and tomorrow’s teachers will recognize this and will utilize a variety of teaching strategies aimed at reaching the most children.
* Classroom supporter: Tomorrow’s teachers will understand how technology, volunteers and traditional teaching methods work together and will fight to get their classroom the tools it needs.
* Curriculum Specialist: Instead simply translating the state standards into daily lessons, our teachers should be curriculum specialists, expertly blending content, curriculum and assessments into a cohesive teaching structure.

Above all, tomorrow’s teachers should be a catalyst for change. Change in our teaching methodology, change in our attitudes and change in the way we view education in our world. Tomorrow’s teachers will truly herald in a change.

Almost everyone with a vested interest in our educational system believes that one of the core reforms we need is in regards to teacher effectiveness. NCLB states that all classrooms must have a “highly professional” teacher, without defining what that means. To parents, an effective teacher is able to educate their children. To administrators, effective teachers have students that score high on standardized testing. To students, fun teachers are the most effective. The question becomes how do we implement an evaluation system that will help use create the most effective teachers if we do so at all.

We must first recognize the point of such evaluations. Failure to do so may cause more problems then having no system in place at all. For example, we must educate our teachers and administrators the value such evaluations have. Our parents must understand what the ranking system is, what qualities are evaluated and how to read them. Only by clearly defining the evaluations and rankings will we be able to create change by their implementation.

Next, some standard must be set for what qualities we are evaluating. While standardized test scores and student reviews should play some role, there are other areas to consider as well. Examples include teachers who continue their education and teachers who take on additional responsibilities such as mentoring or curriculum building.

Finally, we must consider who will perform and compile the evaluations. Finding an impartial party may be the best idea but may also be unfeasible.

Some teachers and teacher groups worry that implementing a system of evaluations may make tenure pointless, but maybe that is the point of this entire exercise. Why keep tenured teachers on the payroll if they are not as effective as they should be? This topic is likely to remain a hotly debated item as NCLB is reevaluated itself.