The U.S. spends more per pupil on elemenary and high school education than most developed nations. Yet it is behind most of them in the math and science abilities of its children. Young Americans today are less likely than their parents were to finish high school. This is an issue that is warping the nation's economy and security, and their causes are not as mysterious as they seem. The biggest problem with U.S. public schools is ineffective teaching, according to decades of research. (Rhee Tackles Classroom Challenge)
When I was teaching high school science getting tenure was a big goal for my fellow teachers. After teaching for a few years a public school teacher gets "tenure". At that point it is really hard to get fired. You can do an awful job as a teacher and it really does not make any difference to your job security.
When my fellow teachers would tell me"your almost there" they were a little annoyed with my response. I told them I didn't want tenure. If I was doing a bad job than I deserved to be fired. They would follow up with all the silly reasons why teachers needed tenure. For example, what if a student lied and accused you of hitting them. You needed to have that protection. That is just ridiculous to me. If a student lied the truth would come out in the end. If not, I wouldn't want to continue working there.
I have recently become aware of an advocate for better education. Her name is Michelle Rhee. I am sure I don't agree with everything she stands for, but I do agree with her opinions on tenure. While working in the education system she fired 241 poor teachers, even if they had tenure :) You can imagine how much the teachers unions love her. She has recently left her position and is starting an organization called "Students First". I anxiously await what this go getter will accomplish in this new venue.
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