Who is Really Standing Up for Children?

Much is being said by the Stand for Children group about changing the way teachers are evaluated. They seem to believe that parents should have more input into the evaluation process, as well as the salaries paid to educators. Yes, there are some teachers that are better than others. But generally the current evaluation process already has the potential to determine those teachers that would benefit from additional professional development. Parents and community members are valuable stakeholders in the students' education, but it seems ludicrous to complicate the process. Parents have always had a say in their children's education by maintaining open lines of communication with classroom teachers and school administrators. They already influence the components of the pay/benefits packages when they vote for their respective school committees and/or school district leadership teams. Should they have a more direct influence in the evaluation process? What will this new evaluation process look like? Will parents be in the rooms observing class presentations? Will every parent in the school be directly involved? There are far too many factors to consider before any changes can be implemented. Teachers have been standing up for their students for ever. They cannot be left out of the conversations that must take place. Perhaps it time to sit down at the table for the children.