Welcome! A blog, run by Jennifer Abell, Vice Chair of the Charles County Board of Education, involving topics and issues on education and children. Comments are not official communications of the Charles County School Board but are a personal effort to be more transparent. Both complimentary comments and constructive criticism are not only appreciated but encouraged. Student participation is also encouraged and therefore the use of proper language and decorum is requested at all times.
Survey data point to restrictive policies that thwart innovation
By Nick Anderson
The Washington Post
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
A new national report card on educational innovation contends that principals in Maryland and the District of Columbia face too many barriers to ousting bad teachers.
As a result, both jurisdictions earned an F for teacher-removal policies. Virginia received an A.
Read more HERE.
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Labels EACC, MD Education News, National Education News, Teachers and Staff
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You don't say
The report explains its methodology for each segment, and I looked at “Removing Ineffective Teachers” specifically:
Staffing: Removing Ineffective Teachers
In this category, we sought to measure the barriers to the removal of ineffective teachers. To do this, we analyzed the 2007–2008 Schools and Staffing Survey. The data came from the principal survey, which asked principals if they believe the following issues are a barrier to the “dismissal of poor-performing or incompetent teachers.” The percentage of principals who answered no to each question was reported at the state level for the following issues:
Percentage of [Maryland] principals who say the following is not a barrier to the removal of “poor-performing or incompetent” teachers:
Personnel policies? 36% say no
Termination decisions not upheld? 69%
Length of time required for the termination process? 24%
Effort required for documentation? 25%
Tight deadlines for completing documentation? 45%
Tenure? 27%
Teacher associations or unions? 28%
Dismissal is too stressful? 88%
Difficulty in obtaining suitable replacements? 72%
Resistance from parents? 97%
The most significant barriers in Maryland: Length of time required for the termination process, effort required for documentation, tenure, teacher associations or unions, and personnel policies.
It is interesting that Virginia’s principals listed the most significant barriers as tenure (33%) and effort required for documentation (36%). Aren’t both of these items directly linked to education association/union labor agreements and personnel policies in Virginia, too?
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