Pretty sure I could still be fired for articulating the thoughts that headline inspired as I picked up the paper in the office this morning.
Virginia is tossing ideas around for similar legislation, ridding the state of tenured contracts and requiring teachers to have to renew contracts every year. I’ve not been sure what to think about it. On the one hand, tenure keeps millions of inadequate public teachers employed and gives them security in a sense. Tenure, like any other employment contract is a benefit of a signed, legally binding agreement meaning that teachers are still subject to abiding by the tenets of said contract. Regardless of their seniority, teachers can be terminated if there is just cause. But nevertheless, plenty of teachers who are doing nothing to enrich the lives of their students are being protected. However, tenure also rewards those who are innovative and making progressive strides in the classroom as well and protects them just as much. My strong leaning is that the tenets of the employment contract for teachers should include standards for evaluation. No one is really questioning that there should be a more thorough and accurate method of evaluation for teachers but the magic question, of course, is how to accomplish that. No one has offered a magic bullet just yet, but getting rid of tenure and long-term contracts, I’m almost certain, is probably not the answer.
GWALP, allisonunsupervised, iamlittlei, affectedline, you all are in the thick of things and have a better idea of how tenure works, the loopholes, the pros and the cons. What do you think?
