Tenure in Schools Should be Banned

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The use of tenure has allowed the education system to take a turn for the worst. Tenure is an automatic process that all teachers are put through that allows security for their position in their district. Tenure is granted to those who meet the teaching requirement in their given district. Tenure is not granted based on test scores, or teacher evaluations, it is based on how long a teacher has been teaching in their district. This allows those who have seniority to have an advantage over those who are new teachers. The new teachers that begin in a district are the ones how have the highest chance of being terminated. Those who have tenure are less likely to be terminated given the lengthy process that comes with their termination. The complexity of the process allows many teachers to slip by because the process is too tedious and lengthy to complete. Because of this, many ineffective teachers are able remain in the classroom to produce ineffective students. Tenure should be banned throughout schools to eliminate the use of ineffective teachers.

In the documentary, “Waiting for Superman,” Geoffrey Canada, an educator, discusses the damage the public school system is doing on our kids. Canada pins the blame on tenured teachers who cannot be taken out of the system. Tenure is automatically granted to teachers if they have taught for 2-5 years depending on the school district (Waiting for Superman). Each district has different requirements for their own tenure teachers. Tenure allows security for a teacher’s job for life and can only be taken away if certain guidelines are broken. Tenure started in universities to protect professors for political and arbitrary reasons. On average, only one out of every 2,500 teachers loses his or ...

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...lary & How to Become a Teacher. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

"Education News." Teacher Tenure Must Go. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Gabriel, Trip, and Sam Dillon. “G.O.P. Governors Take Aim at Teacher Tenure.” New York Times 31 01 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.

Guggenheim, Davis. “Waiting For Superman”. Hollywood, Calif: Paramount Home Entertainment, 2011.

Kloberdanz, Kristin. "Exclusive: Michelle Rhee Takes Aim at Teacher Tenure." TakePart. N.p., 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Long, Cindy. "How Do We Increase Teacher Quality in Low-Income Schools?" NEA Today RSS. N.p., 24 May 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Oh, Inae. "'Rubber Rooms' In New York Schools Cost City $22 Million A Year For Teachers Awaiting Hearings." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 Oct. 2012. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Rosales, John. "Pay Based on Test Scores." Rss. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

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