Should it be easier to get rid of bad teachers?

Ray Fisman has an excellent article in Slate, not only about the problems of getting rid of incompetent teachers, but also of making sure the best possible staff are hired in the first place.

He makes the point that, according to research, "there's nothing on a prospective teacher's resume that indicates how he or she will do in the classroom." Extra qualifications don't seem to matter, for example, or if so, just a little. Because what makes a good teacher special is the ability to teach well  - and inspire - in the classroom. He suggests a long period of in-house training as one possible solution.

Not always knowing who the best teachers are before you hire them (especially if they come straight from college) means that some pretty bad ones slip through.  Most teachers do a great job, but it's not just parents who wonder what can be done about the not so good ones - the bullies, those who don't inspire or even seem particularly interested, and those who can't keep control. Headteachers, too, worry about what can be done.

In Fisman's article, he writes about a particular headteacher in New York who turned a school around through tackling his teaching staff. A third of the staff at his failing school have gone since his arrival (and of course, lest we think this is a great thing, it probably isn't for the schools which have ended up with those teachers).

Talking to one headmaster at a London school last week, he told me that his hands were tied. Getting rid of a poor teacher, he explained, was nigh on impossible, unless they were in their first year of employment, where their employment rights weren't strong. Even though parents had complained about one of his own members of his staff, he had done little because the process was long and arduous, created dischord in the school, and might not even work.

Can this be right? Surely other teachers wouldn't approve of someone bringing down the name of their profession? And doesn't this suggest that parents really have no power in the end. If their children get stuck with the poor teacher, they just have to accept it.

(picture from Conspirator on flickr.com)

Comments

[Suzie Bee]

An entire class-worth of complaints can sometimes do the job, so getting other parents in on the complaints can work. And always complain about tangibe things, such as non-attendance at lessons or not covering all of the syllabus, as "general teaching quality" is pretty much indefinable on paper.

[ChasNDave]

Bad teachers are one thing but what about if you get a bad Headteacher - they are even harder to get rid of and won't go without a fight - who would? earning that kind of salary with that holiday entitlement.

It's common knowledge our head has been wanting to leave for at least the last 18 months and has applied for several jobs, she doesn't appear to enjoy her job and it shows, she has no people skills and treats parents and children as lesser beings - alas nobody else wants our head either - so we're stuck! - This isn't gossip or hearsay - I'm a school governor and in the know!

If she does go however Headteachers are hard to find! So then we face the problem of getting a replacement...

[Arthur Van Der Lae]

These days it is virtually impossible to remove bad employees (teachers or within industry) without making compensation payments.

Most schools hardly have the cash to survive...so the last thing they need is to "pay off" poor employees.

That is why we can be stuck with poor teachers.

[Shirley]

The ideal situation would be to get rid of bad teachers and replace them with good ones. The same thing goes for employees in any organisation. Although the idea sounds easy, it is not easy to implement for you have to look into issues such as (1)recruiting replacement teachers (2) shortage of teachers (3)re-training and (4) creating a totally un-bias system for screening teachers at various stages of their employment etc.

[Caroline]

Why not introduce a tenure system, as at the university level in many countries? First a 3 year contract, then upon passing a midterm review a further 3 year contract. Only after passing the second review after 6 years do university lecturers get tenure, generally. 6 years is plenty of time to weed out the bad apples - and to nurture those who want to improve.

[Lina Taylor]

We have experienced a bad teacher with our son and daughter (the same teacher), but are scared of complaining in case it means the children are victimised. A friend did complain and her son had a terrible time after that. I would like to feel I can trust the staff or governors, but don't feel I can.

[Ben]

I agree. Bad teachers are a nightmare for children. At primary level they can ruin an entire year's worth of learning, but no one seems to want to address this. Surely there should be assessments and ways to get rid of poor performers - like every other job.