Louisiana Educator: Teachers Need Due Process (Tenure) Now More Than Ever

Louisiana Educator: Teachers Need Due Process (Tenure) Now More Than Ever:

Teachers Need Due Process (Tenure) Now More Than Ever

I have received many confidential emails from individual teachers over the last year expressing concern that they were in danger of losing their jobs because of pressures caused by our so called education reforms. Some teachers were being pressured to give passing grades to many students who were refusing to perform even the minimum required in the classroom. Principals are being subjected to extreme pressure to demonstrate success by all students even if none exists. They then often transfer that pressure to teachers.

One teacher wrote me that the principal in examining the teacher's grade book asked about all the zeros given some students for homework. The teacher explained that he was mainly giving credit to students who showed a sincere attempt at their homework, and that accuracy was not part of the grade. One of the reasons the teacher assigned homework was to allow students to improve their overall grade particularly when test scores were very poor. He said that students received zeros because they were refusing to even make an effort at the homework. The principal responded that the teacher had better find a way to remove those zeros from the grade book!

The above is an example of the loss of academic freedom by many teachers in today's high pressure environment. The system of accountability we have in Louisiana often has the unintended consequence of pressuring dedicated educators to show false progress. Without tenure, teachers who try to Louisiana Educator: Teachers Need Due Process (Tenure) Now More Than Ever: