Have a Few Bad Apples?

How do you confront underperforming teachers without stirring up controversy? Start with clear objectives, professional support, and honest communication.

Except for those educators who make headlines for outrageous behavior, when was the last time a teacher was terminated in your district? It’s a tough question to ask and a tough topic to talk about. Administrators looking for greater flexibility in dealing with underperforming teachers don’t want to be seen as anti-teacher or pro-firing. But let’s face it, with 70 percent of U.S. teachers covered by some sort of collective bargaining agreement and most gaining tenure in two to three years, educators from principals on up often feel their hands are tied when it comes to weeding out the mediocre teacher. While we are waiting for permission to revolutionize our district’s hiring and firing practices, try these tips that will focus your schools on finding and nurturing the best talent out there, starting right now.

Hire Smart in the First Place: It’s difficult to hire well in shortage situations. But it’s important not to get caught up in a desperation mentality and lower your standards. All you’re doing by compromising to solve the immediate problem is possibly create a greater problem in the future. While waiting for candidates who are a good fit, hire full-time temporary teachers who have no immediate prospect for tenure and relying on retired educators and talented student teachers.

Offer Strong Support: At least some teacher performance issues can be traced to inadequate preparation and training. These teachers often have full credentials in their specialty areas but have never learned to communicate that wealth of information to students in a way that encourages true learning or follows district guidelines.

Challenge Your Most Promising Prospects: Promoting research-based practices are just one way to support teachers in their quest to improve student performance. Schools need to work with the people they have and build their skills.

Have a Clear Vision: Firing anybody is awful and a last resort. Getting somebody out of your school does not have to mean firing them, instead principals need to provide clear direction for their schools, offering strong leadership and a building-wide culture that is clear and understood by all staff members. Tenured teachers who don’t fit into that culture can then be encouraged to transfer to a school that might be a better fit.

Make Tenure a Goal, Not a Default: Once that hire is made, the tenure clock starts ticking. Even non-union teachers in many districts get some sort of tenure in two to three years, an insufficient period of time to determine whether someone should get what can turn out to be lifetime employment. Studies have found that a teacher’s performance during his first two years is a strong indicator of future performance, but that’s not the point. Whatever your feelings about tenure, no one should be pressured into giving it to a teacher they’re unsure about. If there are doubts about performance, lay them out clearly and communicate them with the teacher. Hiring and firing is far from an exact science in education, or anywhere else for that matter.


Source: http: Matt Bolch, based in Atlanta, specializes in business and technology.