RateMyTeachers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| RateMyTeachers | |
|---|---|
| URL | http://www.ratemyteachers.com |
| Type of site | Review |
| Registration | Yes |
| Owner | RMT Acquisition, LLC |
| Created by | Michael Hussey |
| Launched | 2001 |
| Current status | Running |
RateMyTeachers, also called RMT, is a controversial review site used to rate elementary (primary) schools and secondary schools teachers' performance (and popularity). Participants give numerical ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 in three different categories to their current or former elementary and secondary school teachers. Visitors can also write a brief comment based on their experience with the teacher. Over one and a half million teachers are graded on the website. The site was launched in August of 2001 by Michael Hussey, as part of the now defunct RateMy(TM) Network. The site is still however one of the most comprehensive educational rating sites on the web.
The three categories used for rating teachers are Clarity, Helpfulness, and the most controversial; Easiness. The ratings for Clarity and Helpfulness are tallied and averaged, giving an average score for each teacher. Easiness is not factored into the overall score, as the sites owners maintain that an "easy" score is not necessarily a good score. One offered reason as to why "Easiness" is not a good basis for an opinion is because some students might find the subject that the teacher teaches substantially easier than other subjects, while others may have difficulty in the subject.
In addition to students being able to rate their teachers, parents have the option of rating the performance of their children's teachers on Expectations, Difficulty, and Respect. The website claims that over 70% of teachers are rated positively, 20% score a medium range, and 10% rate poorly.
The website is extremely controversial in some circles and its use is banned by many school networks. These schools are listed on the website's "Wall of Shame" page [1].
RateMyTeachers currently operates websites in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Contents |
[edit] Moderation and Rules
RateMyTeachers has a set of rules that posters are encouraged to read before commenting on a teacher. The rules detail what pupils can and cannot comment on. Some of the things banned from comments are personal or family life, appearance, looks or personal hygiene. Problems with the law, race or sex and anything containing pupil names or email addresses are also banned. All comments are reviewed and approved by volunteer moderators to ensure they are consistent with the site's rules or guidelines before they are posted on the website.
Students may volunteer to perform moderator duties for their own school. These students are asked to write a short essay about why they are interested in participating in RateMyTeachers. Selected students are trained to administer the ratings submitted to teachers within their school. The site is also managed by 'Master Administrators' who monitor the operation of the entire site and oversee the actions of the school moderators. A moderator who has been moderating for 90 or more days is reviewed by one of the Master Administrators to become a Trusted Moderator which allows the pupil to moderate for schools without a moderator.
[edit] Controversy
RateMyTeachers is controversial in certain circles and many have questioned its approach. In 2007, the Queensland College of Teachers called for the shutdown of the page "until it can be established that it provides a credible service." In 2003, the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) sought a court injunction to shut down the site, though the request was denied on free speech grounds. In April 2007 the British education secretary Alan Johnson said that the online harassment of teachers performed by sites such as RateMyTeachers needs to stop. This caused a number of articles on RateMyTeachers by national and international press. [2]
[edit] International Development
Rating teachers also becomes increasingly popular in Europe. In Ireland and UK RateMyTeachers sister site RateMyTeachers.co.uk and RateMyTeachers.ie sparked great controversy about freedom of speech. However, the site has been proven to be legal due to the fact that the site's servers are based in the United States.[citation needed].
