The teacher quality bandwagon has a new passenger. Bill Gates recently announced another big schools initiative that includes $500-million for studying "new ways to measure teacher performance and link it to tenure and salaries," according to this piece in Fortune Magazine.

Gates didn't mince words when he unveiled his plans at a private forum in Seattle. "We need to give all teachers the benefit of clear standards, sound curriculum, good training, and top instructional tools," he said. "But if their students still keep falling behind, (the teachers) are in the wrong line of work, and they need to find another job."

The story said that line got the most applause (from a crowd that included U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and Washington, D.C., schools chief Michelle Rhee). Here's more on all this from the Seattle Times and from the New York Daily News.

Ron Matus, State Education Reporter

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