Those with careers in teaching have long been underappreciated for the incredibly important work they do to educate and inspire the children of the U.S. to greater success. The Obama administration has repeatedly announced its dedication to the support and reform of education throughout the nation. In California, a debate about whether or not to use student test score data to evaluate teacher performance may determine whether or not California is eligible for any of the $4.35 billion in national "Race to the Top" funds that were announced by the president last month. The funding is seen by many as a way to help save jobs in the education system of the cash-strapped state. Some teachers feel using the student test scores won't accurately reflect their teaching ability, according to the Glendale News Press, but Obama argued in favor of the approach last month. "Success should be judged by results, and data is a powerful tool to determine results," Obama said at the launch of the program. "We can't ignore facts. We can't ignore data." There are almost 4 million teachers from preschool to secondary school according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  |