NYC teachers’ union loses case over evaluations

A judge has swatted down the New York City teachers' union argument that performance ratings for 12,000 teachers should not be released because the information is inaccurate.

"There is no requirement that data be reliable for it to be disclosed," Manhattan Judge Cynthia Kern wrote, according to the New York Post.

The Post and other news organizations asked New York City's education department for the performance rankings using the Freedom of Information Law. The United Federation of Teachers union argues the data is flawed and teachers may face "harassment" from parents if they find out their child is in class with a teacher who received a poor ranking. The union is expected to appeal the decision.

The accuracy of "value-added" ratings, which measure in part how much better a teacher's students perform on standardized tests under their care, is the subject of national debate.

The L.A. Times released rankings of 6,000 city teachers, sparking the local union president to call for a boycott of the paper. You can read more about the controversy here.

(Stock photo: Getty Images)