City parents got good news yesterday when a court ruled that teacher ratings based on student test scores must be made public.
And the timing was exquisite: The decision came just a day after another court nixed a common-sense plan to have teachers deemed “ineffective” if their students show no achievement gains.
After all, if school officials aren’t allowed to use plain-as-day logic to grade teachers, at least parents should get to see the data — and make judgments for themselves.
And if the ruling stands, they will.
Meanwhile, Gov. Cuomo says he wants tougher evaluations — and has even pointed to them as an alternative to ditching the “last-in, first-out” seniority system used for layoffs.
Now he must step up to the plate.
In yesterday’s ruling, the Appellate Division unanimously backed a lower-court order for the city to release test-score-based ratings for some 12,000 teachers. The Post and other news outlets sought the info — which lists teachers by name — under the Freedom of Information Act last year.
But United Federation of Teachers boss Michael Mulgrew sued — clearly fearful that parents would suddenly discover who the rotten teachers were.
Instead, Mulgrew suggested parents … just ask the teachers themselves if they were losers. Surely they’d respond honestly.
Of course, parents shouldn’t even have to wade through data; they should be able to rely on school brass to make sound judgments and weed out bad teachers.
Fat chance.
On Wednesday, a judge ruled that the state’s new plan for grading teachers exceeds what a new law allows because it terms teachers whose kids keep flunking “ineffective” — and that might one day have consequences. Imagine that.
It was the kind of ruling often linked to union-bought judges in liberal New York City. But it came from a court in Albany.
Which suggests that the law itself — passed under pressure last year to help the state win millions in the federal Race to the Top contest — is suspect.
After all, it’s the handiwork of Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver and then-Senate Majority Leader John Sampson, bought-and-paid-for teachers-union minions.
The result: Flawed legislation that nonetheless appeared to meet federal demands.
What to do now? Fix the law.
Cuomo says he wants tough standards for teachers. Now he needs to prove it.
Meanwhile, parents must be content with the performance information The Post’s lawsuit is forcing into the open.
It’s a start. Glad to be of service.