Jindal seeks dialogue on education reform

Gov. Bobby Jindal pledged today to meet with educators, parents, legislators and union leaders to discuss how Louisiana can attract and retain qualified teachers. In a speech at the annual meeting of the Council for a Better Louisiana, the governor said he plans to “hear their thoughts on specifically how we attract high-quality candidates, keep highly effective educators, and support struggling teachers to help them improve or move them out of the classroom.” Jindal emphasizes the importance of qualified teachers in pulling Louisiana out of the statistical cellar. “I wouldn’t be where I am today were it not for the incredible teachers I encountered in public schools. But we need to have an honest and open discussion about teacher quality in Louisiana if we truly want to give our children a world-class education,” he says. Touting the value-added teacher evaluation system the state is implementing, Jindal says educator abilities have become easier to evaluate and reward. “With our value-added teacher evaluation system, for the first time we are now able to identify the most effective teachers in Louisiana,” he says. “Shouldn’t we reward the truly excellent teachers and incentivize others to achieve excellence? Unfortunately, our system doesn’t do this today.” Jindal says he hopes the dialogues with various professionals will lead to lasting changes, not just for teachers, but also for the quality of students’ education.