One of the major complaints of the reformers is that too many bad teachers are protected by tenure and unions (actually most schools are part of associations not unions). Well, hold on friends, I have some news for you!! In a thoughtful and provocative recent release Dana Goldstein in "The Teacher Wars" debunks this harmful and misguided myth.
As Goldstein notes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that companies with over "1,000 employees lost only about 2% of their workforce from firings, resignations, and layoffs combined." By the way, this is recent research from 2012. Goldstein goes on to say that "In 2007, the last year for which national data is available, 2.1% of school teachers were fired for cause, a figure that includes tenured teachers.
The fact of the matter is this...teachers are more, not less, likely than many other workers to get fired.
Maybe some out there want more teachers to be fired but that is a different proposition than saying that teachers aren't let go because of poor performance. It would serve everyone well to get their facts straight.
Just another one of those myths circulating as truth but, in fact, it is just that...a myth and not truth!
Dick
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