Cuomo Signs Teacher Evaluation Disclosure Law [POLL]

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced today that he has signed a law requiring data from teacher evaluations to be made public.

Although the general public will be able to review enough information to determine how their school is doing, names of individual teachers won’t be readily available. However, parents will be able to know the evaluations of the teachers instructing their children in a given year.

The law was passed by the state Legislature last week.

Teachers union officials praised the bill and said it protected the information from being distorted or exploited by the media.

"This law strikes the right balance between a teacher's right to privacy and the parents' and public's right to know," Cuomo said in a statement. "New York's children deserve a top-quality education, and the state's new teacher evaluation system will ensure that teachers and principals are held responsible for student performance. I commend Majority Leader Skelos and Speaker Silver for their work to make sure we could protect our teachers' and principals' privacy, while also ensuring that parents and the public have access to the information they need."

The law goes into effect next year.