Mr Starr issued three separate retorts, culminating in a 19-page letter to Steven Brill, Content's owner, editor, and principal reporter.

ECONOMIST: The press in the spin cycle

One of the amendments passed placed emphasis on the independence of children's hearings, saying the National Convener or the Principal Reporter should not be able to "direct" or "guide" its functions.

BBC: Children's Hearings Bill debate

"No principal would ever make a decision based on this score alone, and we would never advise anyone parent, reporter, principal, teacher to draw a conclusion based on this score alone, " said Shael Polakow-Suransky, the department's chief academic officer.

WSJ: Teacher Rankings Opened to View