We Must Reform Teacher Tenure Essay -- How Not to Reform Teacher Tenur

Teacher tenure is life-long job protection for teachers who have been employed as a teacher for one or more years depending on the state. The purpose of teacher tenure is to protect teachers from being fired for political or personal reasons. It also prevents school districts from eliminating experienced teachers in favor of less expensive teachers. The fundamental problem with teacher tenure is that it is given to a teacher after only one year on the job and requires little to no additional effort. The increased job security breeds complacency in many teachers who are teaching only to collect a paycheck. There is a need for teacher tenure but the program must be drastically reformed. What is Tenure? Tenure is a policy that basically gives teachers a lifetime contract. It prevents teachers from being fired for something small all the way up to severe misconduct or incompetence. . Tenure began in the early 20th century. It was meant to protect teachers from wrongful termination. In that time race, personal bias, and politics could get even very effective teachers fired. Women were often targeted when they got married or became pregnant. With tenure, even if a school district tries to fire an incompetent teacher or one who is guilty of misconduct it can become very difficult and expensive It also protected teachers whose research or teaching practices might be considered â€Å"out-of-the-box.† The Positive Side of Teacher Tenure Tenure is in place to protect teachers. Many teachers are very dedicated to what they do and go above and beyond what is required regardless of their pay scale; tenure is in place to protect teachers like this. Teachers that have proven that they are in the classroom to make a difference in the life of a... ...1D719E1C22E61225AFDEB326CE13C0_1328848465905&start=1&publicationId=&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B198818676 Garrett, Rose (2010). What is Teacher Tenure? Retrieved from http://www.education.com/magazine/article/what-is-teacher-tenure/ Sawchuk, Stephen (2010). States Strive to Overhaul Teacher Tenure. Retrieved from www.edweek.org Otterman, Sharon (2011). Once Nearly 100%, Teacher Tenure Rate Drops to 58% as Rules Tighten, New York Times, 28 July, 2011. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/docview/879455669/fulltext?accountid=13931 Weisberg, D., Sexton, S., Mulhern, J., Keeling, D., (2007). The Widget Effect. Retrieved from http://widgeteffect.org/downloads/TheWidgetEffect.pdf Wolpert-Gawron, Heather (2009). The Truth about Teacher Tenure. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-tenure-debate