Georgia is trying to improve its teaching force by improving the quality of candidates admitted to teacher prep programs and the quality of teachers already in the classroom. I discuss the efforts, which include a controversial new evaluation that considers student test scores. A guest columnist praises the inclusion of student performance in teacher reviews. And readers debate whether schools would improve if students were not tracked into classes by ability.

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)