Students grading teachers? Hmm, sounds dangerous to me. but I suppose if the kids doing the grading are mature enough to be honest about the quality of learning they feel they are getting from a specific teacher. The whole concept behind this teacher rating thing might be OK after all.

Students using the popular website RateMyTeachers.com graded their one millionth teacher today. Since launching in August 2001, RateMyTeachers has generated 7.2 million teacher ratings at more than 44,000 schools across the United States and Canada.

With the assistance of over 4500 student administrators, RateMyTeachers reviews every teacher rating before it is posted to the website. Any malicious or vulgar comments are removed. If a teacher is at odds with any rating, that person can easily flag the rating and comment for a second review. The majority of ratings are positive, with students celebrating their teachers and offering constructive feedback.

Joel Gordon, an English teacher at Amsterdam High School in Amsterdam, NY believes RateMyTeachers “enfranchises our kids, gives voice to their long-stifled expressions in a subject area in which they have loads of experience and are eminently qualified to speak. These statistics are timely, relevant and 99% honest.”

Site co-founder Michael Hussey explains the goal of the site. “Students have a keen interest in rating their teachers’ performance in the classroom, and the extreme growth of the site is a testimonial to students desires to take an active role in improving the quality of their education. In a time when school accountability is high on the public radar, with federal acts such as ‘No Child Left Behind’ making headlines and headaches, we recognize that the most important voice is often ignored - the student voice. Using technology, we are breaking down that barrier and making students opinions matter - and improving education for those teachers and administrations who embrace us.”