The Washington Teacher: "Hot Off the Press: Reduction in Force in DCPS"

Featuring Candi Peterson, blogger in residence & candidate for WTU General Vice President

The Wash. Teacher leads the story- Layoffs Confirmed by Fox 5 News- Total numbers uncertain

Sources have told The Washington Teacher that Deputy Chancellor, Kaya Henderson instituted yet another round of layoffs of DC Public Schools employees on Friday, October 22. These layoffs are one year after the October 2, 2009 anniversary date of layoffs of 266 teachers and approximately 100 other school staff. Inside sources report that this latest reduction in force allegedly includes special education specialists, placement specialists, central office staff and school based social workers and school psychologists some of whom may bemembers of the Washington Teachers Union. Stay tuned for further details on the 2010 round of school layoffs and official confirmation of this story.

Tenure

Tenure

An Opinion By Markus Batchelor

Tenure: status granted to an employee, usually after a probationary period, indicating that the position or employment is permanent.

First thing's first: Teaching is an invaluable career that very few brave and dedicated people choose in order to make a difference in a child's life.

However, there is definitely a such thing as an effective teacher and an ineffective teacher. As much as we would like to believe that every teacher comes in everyday ready to make a positive difference in the lives of their students and be a good instructor, this is not always the case. There is a great majority who are, but there are definitely those who do not fit into this category.

This is exactly the reason why we should not allow the rule of tenure to trap schools and students into the ineffective instruction of a educator who does not deserve the privilege (let alone, the lifetime security) of their jobs.

One bad teacher can make a big impact, setting students years back in their education and even discouraging students to continue on their path to education. Therefore, it should be made much easier for schools and the system to replace ineffective teachers, based on a less stringent, but effective evaluation system that protects teachers from ousting based on politics or personal affairs, but also makes sure our kids get the best instruction they can.

Will it be difficult to both protect our teachers and the education of our students? Yes. However, protecting teachers without necessarily taking into account their impact in the classroom is not the answer.