Big Week for the NEA
by Frederick M. Hess
National Review Online
April 20, 2010
The result: two substantial setbacks for those who believe we need to rethink teacher tenure, evaluation, and pay, and who believe K–12 schooling needs to stop mortgaging the future of the kids it's supposed to serve.
The big news from Florida was Crist's decision to veto Senate Bill 6, which would have abolished teacher tenure and shifted teacher pay from a seniority-driven industrial model to one centered on student performance. While there were reasonable concerns about the test-based rigidity of the ambitious legislation, it represented a crucial opportunity to reimagine teacher tenure and pay. The right move would have been for Crist to sign it, and then work with legislators to fix it.
Unfortunately, faced with fierce pressure from the Florida Education Association, Crist folded like a cheap suit.
