Dive Brief:

• In a Wednesday keynote at the U.S. Education Forum, Microsoft founder Bill Gates reiterated his support for the use of teacher evaluation systems and new, more rigorous academic standards.
• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has backed state and federal efforts to design and implement the Common Core state standards and roll out new test-based teacher evaluations.
• Gates also noted that along with test scores, teacher evaluations should include classroom observations and student feedback, as well.

Dive Insight:

Gates has backed reform-minded education initiatives ranging from small schools to teacher evaluations for years. But his support and that of his foundation have proved controversial as well, drawing accusations of big money shaping policy. Following his speech, several prominent education activists criticized his continuing commitment to the high-stakes approach, though others praised Gates for not changing course without giving the reforms a chance to take hold.

“I think when you're doing something that's complicated and is about deep and sustainable change, it takes a while, and foundations which change strategy or focus every half-dozen years don't do themselves or the kids any favors. American education has far more faddism and short-term bandwagon-jumping than it needs,”  Frederick M. Hess, the director of education policy at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, which has received Gates funding, told Education Week.

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