There is often truth to these statements. But I have come to believe that great teachers accept responsibility for motivating their students. The most effective educators establish an environment where kids not only want to succeed but feel that they can. Here are several ideas teachers can implement to transform grading practices for motivational purposes while protecting the rigor of instruction:

Most state reform statues have established hasty timetables for the implementation of new teacher-evaluation systems — timetables all states are struggling to meet. HPAds.adSonar(1523709,2259768,300,250); adsonar_placementId=1523709;adsonar_pid=2259768;adsonar_ps=-1;adsonar_zw=300;adsonar_zh=250;adsonar_jv="ads.tw.adsonar.com";Still, arguably the biggest challenge posed by these mandated evaluation reforms is that the majority of teachers do not teach in tested subjects or grades, and as a result standardized student achievement data is not available to be used in their ratings.

Furthermore, states must concentrate on providing what districts cannot, and education agencies should adjust their implementation timelines to align with the needs and resources of their particular state. Lastly, states must think long term about how to provide administrators with the training, technical expertise and field experience needed to address the current human-capital challenges affiliated with teacher evaluation reform. Loading Slideshow School Supplies<strong>91 percent</strong> of teachers buy basic school supplies for their students.Food<strong>2 in 3</strong> teachers <strong>(67%)</strong> purchase food or snacks to satisfy the basic nutritional needs of their students -- even ones who are already enrolled in their schools' free or reduced-price meal program. Clothing<strong>1 in 3</strong> teachers purchase clothing for children, including jackets, hats and gloves <strong>(30%)</strong> or shoes and shoe laces <strong>(15%)</strong>.Toothbrushes<strong>18 percent</strong> of teachers purchase personal care items, such as toothbrushes and sanitary products.Hygiene ProductsNearly <strong>1 in 3</strong> teachers <strong>(29%)</strong> purchase items such as toilet paper and soap that their school cannot provide enough of due to budget cuts. Field Trips<strong>More than half</strong> of all teachers have paid the costs of field trips for students who couldn't afford to participate otherwise.Alarm Clocks<strong>Several teachers</strong> reported purchasing alarm clocks for students. Due to work schedules or family circumstances, guardians were unable to wake their children for school, which led to absences and academic underperformance. Teacher Spending On Students1 of 8 Hide ThumbnailsAlamyNext Share TweetFullscreen1 of 8Play AllSchool Supplies91 percent of teachers buy basic school supplies for their students. Like Dislike8 Points10 likes, 2 dislikesAdvertisement× #hp-slideshow-wrapper-246322 .hp-slideshow-wrapper-loading-div{ font-family:Arial