Calif. Bill Rekindles Debate Over Teacher Peer Review

By Jeff Archer

Los Angeles

California's Poway Unified School District launched a program in 1987 that lets teachers review their colleagues' performance. Since then, teachers and administrators in the 33,000-student district say the gamble has paid off handsomely, giving new teachers much-welcomed help and removing some who belonged in another profession.

"Part of the reason I wanted to teach in this district is because I knew that the teacher support here was top-notch," said Kendall Gaspar, who started teaching 5th grade in the suburban San Diego system last fall. "They're here to help us and to make the first year of teaching the best that it can be."

Despite such accolades, at 12 years old, the initiative is California's sole example of a full-fledged peer-review program--a situation that could explain why Gov. Gray Davis believes other districts need more than a nudge to try out...