NYC to release teacher performance ratings

New York's highest court has ruled that New York City can release performance ratings for 12,000 teachers based on student test scores.

The Court of Appeals Tuesday denied a bid from the United Federation of Teachers to appeal last year's ruling by the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court.

Five media organizations filed Freedom of Information Law requests for the ratings in 2010 after the Los Angeles Times published similar data for Los Angeles teachers.

The teachers union sued to block the city from releasing the ratings. Union lawyers argued that releasing the data would invade teachers' privacy and that the ratings were based on faulty statewide tests.

A city Department of Education spokesman said the department will release the nearly 2-year-old teacher ratings in the coming weeks. -- AP