georgia. first to the north of tallahassee, we have a tornado warning moving to the eefts of that region and further to the north, we're tracking another tornado warning that's impacting areas of southern georgia. now, tornados are not on the ground with this system. they are on doppler radar, so take cover if you're in this region. >> back at the top of the hour, your bottom line starts right now. taking teacher ratings public. are we grading our teachers or degrading them? good morning, everyone. i'm christine romans. plus, from the job hunts to the job interview, are some parents too involved in the lives of their grown-up children? and what's really driving those gas prices we're paying at the pump? we're operating fact from fiction. but first, more than 3 million public school teachers head to the country every day in this one. parents usually don't know how their child ranks compared to others until recently.

new york city's department of education released ratings for 18,000 of its public school teachers and 217 charter school teachers and 50 special ed teachers. those ratings are based on student test scores in english and math and they covered students in grades 4 through 8 between 2007 and 2010. but not all teachers' scores were released and this is a margin of error. that margin is 35 percentage points from math and 53 percentage points for english. steve perry is a cnn contributor and principal of capital prep school. also the author of american schools, the art of creating a democratic learning community. all right, guys, thanks for joining us. people talk about this for a week. parents, teachers alike trying to figure out if this is a good thing to know how your teacher ranks. new york city mayor michael bloomberg says he supports the release of this information. >> parents have a right to know

every bit of information we can possibly collect for the teachers in front of these kids. this is about their kids' lives, not about anything else. >> but dennis walcott wrote a letter saying, quote, it would be irresponsible for the press to u this information in isolation to render judgments about individual teachers. steve, how much faith should parents put in this data? and how important is this -- i mean, unprecedented release of basic lay teacher's score? >> it's essential. every single parent must have a right to know or has a right to know how effective their children's teachers are. too many of our parents know more about their kids' travel coach's winning record than they do about the effectiveness of the teachers that their children are saddled with or blessed to have. when you don't have school choice, you don't go from one good school to another.

and you have to choose from the charter or public schools. you don't get the choice to choose the teachers when you can't get the good decision without the good information. >> one of the things about information is i'm not sure what you're learn background the teacher from some of these scores. the margin of error is very wide. we're rating the teachers based on the kids' performance. so, sam, the evaluation system as it is right here, how helpful is it? >> well, i think this is a another example of where steve and i agree on the end and disagree on the means. i think clearly in this new era of choice, parents need more and better information of all kinds in order to make the best possible choice about where to snd their child for 12 years. it's equally true that teachers need more and better information in order to improve the quality of their practice, not what's passed in previous years where you basically just got a passing grade whether you were good or not. but to take those two facts, and then think releasing this

information, which is a single data point gets us closer to that. i think it's not just a bad decision. i think it's the worst possible decision we could make towards achieving both of those goals. >> let me ask both of you this. in my job, i'm reviewed and evaluated. i'm sure you in your jobs are revealed and evaluated. is the issue here that teachers need to be reviewed and evaluated and nurtured in their career more? is that part of this issue, as well, steve? >> it's not the only thing that's happening. and sam knows that. sam knows that it's not just about the single data point. in fact, these teachers will not lose their job, even if they're the last teacher on the list because the data is not i wouldn't go being used to determine effectiveness within the school. this is about parents. and while the tests may or may not be as effective as it needs to be, we don't throw the baby out with the bath water. the expectation here is that parents must know how effective their children's teachers are. and if this is the current best method of determining that, then it is what we will use.

we should continue to improve the method, but that doesn't mean until we've gotten what we believe to be a perfect method that we wait. >> sam, let me ask you this. like in a lot of american corporations, you are evaluated. a lot of professions. you are evaluated how well you do on your jobs and you're either helped in your career or you've moved into another job that might be better within that company, etcetera, etcetera. here, you have the biggest profession in america, 3.2 school million teachers. do they have that type of evaluation in school teachers and should we? >> they don't and we definitely should. that's, again, a point that steve and i will agree on. teacher evaluation has been a complete joke. almost everybody passes. there's no useful information that's passed on. but in this particular situation, i'm the parent of a soon to be 3-year-old who is going to enter a public school in d.c. i'm writing a book about school choice. what we're writing about right now and what's happening in new york city, i don't know if steve collected baseball cards when he grew up.

this is like the equivalent of me getting a baseball card with one number on the back. what i'm being told is don't pay attention only to that information. there's other information. the reality is, i'm going to look at that number and make a choice. if we think about what parents seek for their kids, certainly what i seek for my son and what every parent in the process of writing this book is seeking with, it's not just academic growth, it's not just learn to go read and write, it's social, emotional growth, it's spiritual growth. it's developing the whole aspects of a person. so the only way that we're really going to improve education is to align information for parents and evaluation for teachers that actually measure those things. >> steve perry, sam shelty, thanks. we'll come back and talk about it again because a lot of teachers are saying, wow, there's not many other careers that you end up in the newspaper what your score is. how do all the moms and dads feel about this? we're going to ask three of

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kains, cnn contributocontributo. as a parent, pete, do you want to know how well your teachers is doing? >> i want to know a lot about my teachers, but i'm not that interested in seeing how some system or newspaper graded it. here is how we do it. i ask other parents. you know, my daughter started kindergarten. we talked to first grade parents. we said who are the teachers. >> what are their strengths? what are their weaknesses? and then, yeah, i like to meet the teachers. but we don't have choice in public school. we can kind of say, i think this one is best. >> do you know what that number is, whatever that number is that your teacher has been assigned? what are you supposed to do with it, will? if you're at a public school, maybe you can switch kindergartens, maybe not. >> more information is always better. it doesn't mean it has to be a definitive number, but as parents, i want to know every bit of information that i can bet any hands on. in the age of data that

infiltrates sports and money, we're investigating, why does education have to be something we feel our way through? i wouldn't mind putting a number on it. >> but here is the thing. i don't know what parents can do about it. i think if you're a teacher, too, you're worried that maybe you're being judged on some criteria you can't control. i mean, maybe you're less likely to -- >> like the kids? >> right. like the kids. the circumstances of the kids in the class. maybe the administration of the school. >> all the teachers i know have masters degrees. my concern is the parents that don't have masters degrees. this focus on the teachers is wrong. >> what do you think? >> i think parents already judge teachers based on all sorts of criteria that the teachers can't control. i think here we have data that actually looks like it was thoughtfully come up with. >> but part of me feels like it's a symptom of the same thing that parents are screaming about, which is why are we grading our children, judging them on tests? so the tests we can't control, why are they just a number?

and there's something a little unsettling about and now we will take teachers and judge them based on the same tests that the parents think we should be judging the kids on. >> but do we go back here in agreement among everyone that teachers, a public profession, largest profession in america, 3.2 million of them and they are public employees. should they be evaluated and lose their job or get bonuses for doing a good job? >> that is a long, long conversation. >> how about helicopter parenting to the next level, right? the unemployment rate is 8.3% nationwide. when you look at kids age 20 to 24, it's higher than that, 13.3%. here is what's happening. you've got folks, parents who are designing linkedin profiles for their kids and managing connection. you've got parents who are writing the cover letter, handling the resume, doing the networking on linkedin and helping their kids on the front door of the job interview.

we've taken the kids from getting them through schools and now in a tough job market they're doing it again. is this the sign of a weak generation? >> i don't know if it's the parents or the kids who are the weak generation, either. >> there is a line. but between networking for your children, helping them out with that first job and cheerleading for them and showing up to their first job interview. there is a line and we might be crossing it from time to time. >> i can see it in the linkedin profile. if you are in the workplace and you are already doing it, i can see how you would start it for my kids. >> accounts my dad doesn't have, linkedin, facebook. but this idea that somehow college age students are having their parents doing their online networking, it surprise he me that they don't know a lot more than their parents. i think it's a good thing to have their parents help you in as many ways as they can. my daddy got me my first job

making popcorn at the new york state fair. it paid $4.35 an hour and it built a ton of character. i'm glad that he helped me out. it was a horrible, horrible job. but he didn't help me get on this show. >> he made you do that job. >> yes. i couldn't live there any more. >> parents are more involved than they used to be, but the world was different. we have these kids who we are told we have to send them to extracurricular activities, we have to get them tutoring. we have to do all these things to get them across this finish line, which is college. one day on their 18th birthday we're told, now, stop because if you don't stop today, you're a helicopter parent. so in a way, i feel sorry for the parents who don't know where that line is because the entire world has changed and that line keeps moving. >> is this an entitled generation? >> yes. absolutely. and here is why. because it's a different type of hard work. it's not as hard to network online as it is to, quote, pound

the pavement and go up to people, knock on doors. that's what you used to have to do. and that seemed harder. i always make fun of myself for what we're doing right now, we're getting paid to be on tv and talk on the radio. >> are we paying him? i thought we said we weren't going to pay him any more. >> i'm out of here. but the idea that we can do all of this in front of a computer as opposed to pounding the pavement. >> but how can both things be true? we have a generation that we call entitled and then we have a generation that are founding companies and curing cancer in order to get into college. how about both simultaneously be true? i think i actually like this generation. i like it and i think these are good things. >> and every generation, every generation says the next one is -- >> going to hell in a hand basket. >> that's true. so nice to say you guys.

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with refinalitily seeing a bottom in the housing market? finally? the news, it's getting interesting, at least. a full decade of home prices has been wiped away. the s&p 500 case shiller home price index fell 3.8% in the last quarter. but those low prices are sparking more home sales. existing home sales rose 4.3% in january. so are record low mortgage rates and those falling prices, are they going to spark a recovery in housing? let's get to the bottom of it, literally. mike, host of "real estate intervention" nice to see you. >> always great to see you, christine. especially when i'm going to say something good about the housing market. >> is it? >> i think what everybody wants to know, is it the right time to

buy? absolutely. i can tell we will never see mortgage money as cheap as we're seeing it right now. i think that whether you're an investor or you're buying a principal residence to live in, if you don't take advantage of the times we're living in, you're going to be on the outside looking in. >> if the family situation is right, if you've got the money to put down and get the low rates. we know it's been about cash. but what is the question you should ask yourself if you should be a buyer or a renter here? under what circumstances should you be renting still? >> you know what? i think in my mind unless you can't afford to buy, christine, you should be buying and not renting. one of the reasons why you're seeing investors getting into the marketplace right now is because there are some economists who are forecasting that metro rental amounts are going go up as much as 30% over the next five years.

why? because they want somebody else to make their mortgage payment for them. and why would you do that? make your own mortgage payment. i think that there really -- unless you can't afford it, there is no good reason not to buy right now. >> we do know that even a couple of years ago it was so good to rent because you had a lot of vacant properties, vacancies in big cities in particular. i mean you had these great signing bonuses for a lease, right? but now we know that renters are getting squeezet. their household income is down about 4% from 2008 to 2010, according to the latest data. but the housing costs have gone up. their rent, their insurance, their utilities. so maybe that sweet spot you're seeing of renting versus buying might be over almost. >> i think it is, christine. i think as long as we don't see washington, d.c., do something silly like get rid of the mortgage interest deduction, which shame on them for even talking about that -- >> but they are talking about it, mike. they're talking about it. >> they are. i can tell you certainly from my

perspective, i've been on your show enough times i'm reasonably outspoken about things. from my perspective, if they were do that, this engine that is real estate that's certainly going to be a driving part of what makes our economy recover would become absolutely emaciated. >> what's your advice for people trying to sell right now in this market? >> if you have to sell right now and it's a thing that works for your life, then i think you have to realize worth is the measure of what the market will bear. the days of 2005 when there were multiple contracts and people were overbidding each other, they're gone right now. i think you have to realize you're only going to get what you can get for your house, if you're doing that, especially on a move-up, you're going to take a smaller house, take a hit, buy something bigger, you're delivering a bigger hit on the other side. >> mike aubrey, really great advice. we'll have you on again very, very soon. >> thanks, christine. until 2004 oil prices had

never risen above $50 a barrel and you're paying for it. who's to fault for that? we're going to separate fact from fiction next on "your bottom line." i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. your doctor will say get smart about your weight. i tried weight loss plans... but their shakes aren't always made for people with diabetes. that's why there's new glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. and they have 6 grams of sugars. with 15 grams of protein to help manage hunger... look who's getting smart about her weight. [ male announcer ] new glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then, he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future

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when it comes to high gas prices, the headlines tell the story. wall street, greed, speculatosp, presidential policies. the cause of what's causing you pain at the pump. what's the story and what can we do about it? let's separate fact from fiction. kevin, whenever gas prices go up, it's like groundhog day. all the conspiracy has come out and the blame. a lot of people start trying to blame speculators, this or that, the president. let's separate fact from fiction. question number one, the president can help lower gas prices, fact or fiction. >> well, christine, the president can but the way he would be doing it would. be necessarily in the broader

conte contexts. for example, there are different grades of fuel. some get a lot of pollution on the coasts like california and the east coast are made in smaller quantity and those prices cost more. the president could wave the clean air rules but then we'd have less clean air. the other is to draw from our petroleum reserve. that's our safety blanket. >> he did when libya was having disruptions in the oil markets. >> he did it, by many assessments, late, with recollect spo the european customers who were buying oil to refine in europe or he did it perhaps when it was jn't entire necessary. but it certain will can be done. our refierns would buy the oil, make more gasoline for a short time and export it if we didn't drive more, which right now, christine, we probably wouldn't do. >> another fact or fiction, the high gas prices caused the recession. >> they probably didn't. that's mostly fiction.

we've lost 5% from disposal income. a lot of it gasoline over the last decade, but really caused the recession, in all likelihood was the pinch from both sides, loss of jobs and loss of home values. gasoline fell off in places where there was unemployment rising fastest, and it came after the unemployment rose. so it was probably extremely painful for people but it was probably part of the story, not the main story. >> finally, the price of oil is directly connected to the price of gas. >> the magic number, christine, is 42. 42 gallons are in a barrel. you take the gasoline price, multiple it by 42. you get $160 per barrel. subtract the oil price, $107 right now, $53 you have to explain by somebody else. taxes, refinery margins, transportation, the point is oil is the main part of it right now, about two-thirds as we

understand. >> here's where the conspiracy theory stands. you had the price of oil below $50 a barrel throughout history and now we just accept that it's more like $100. in the past ten years what has happened to double the price of barrel of gas -- or oil, and is it justified? >> three big things happened. first and foremost was the rice of the nation's demand. you didn't see it at first. then it became very big in the last few years. the second is the dollar is less. there are all sorts of ways you can talk about that. a dollar just means less, so the number's higher. and the third is that the cost of oil is going up as we produce ever harder to find ever deeper resources. so we're not running out of oil, but we're running out of cheaper oil and that, too, has escalated the price. >> kevin book. thanks, kevin. let's keep the conversation going. let's talk on gas prices, teacher evaluations, whether you sold your house or are trying to buy one. anything that affects your family.