...Florida has proven the latter point to be true. Over the last decade, the state has introduced and implemented sweeping reforms to transform education from being at the bottom in the nation to a national model for quality schools. Now, it is forging the path for modernizing the teaching profession by identifying and rewarding great teachers...
Fifty percent of teacher evaluations will be based on what matters most: students’ knowledge and skills. Essentially, do students know more at the end of the school year than they knew at the beginning? This common-sense evaluation system provides a healthy balance of empirical evidence and valuable peer feedback. Principals are evaluated based on the same student data.
The bill also establishes a fairer salary system, improving Florida’s ability to attract and retain excellent teachers. The current salary structure is blind to effectiveness; pay increases are largely based on years of service. Under the new system, teachers who are effective and highly effective will earn raises -- not one-time bonuses, but annual increases that build their base salary...
Under this system, everyone wins. Great teachers will finally earn the financial recognition they deserve. Principals, who have a vested interest in retaining great teachers, will support great teachers. In fact, incorporating data in the evaluation of teacher effectiveness is likely to make it more difficult for administrators to make capricious decisions about retention, which The Times says could result from
abolishing the current tenure system. In fact, teachers are now “protected” by their own effectiveness.
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/04/jeb-bush-florida-law-brings-teaching-into-the-21st-century.html