The Southern Regional Education Board this week gave Georgia high marks for improving education over the past decade. But as at an education summit held by Georgia Forward in Atlanta on Thursday experts said Georgia needs to improve teacher training.

Kate Walsh, President of the National Council on Teacher Quality, says admissions standards to get into an undergraduate education school are lower than those for regular college students.

And she says once teachers reach the classroom, it is difficult to evaluate their performance. She says studies show student surveys are a valuable tool.

“You can design student surveys that assess how kids feel about their own learning that year, without asking whether they liked Mrs. Jones or Mrs. Smith.”

Some experts have argued that teacher reviews from very young students are not reliable and should not influence a teacher’s evaluation.

Federal Race to the Top funding has helped set up 26 pilot programs across the state aimed at teacher quality.

Tags: Race to the Top, Georgia Forward, Southern Regional Education Board