Teacher tenure has a long history and, hopefully, a future

Abstract

Tenure is under fire. Conservatives have long attacked such policies as tenure that constrain the ability of managers to fire whomever they want, but the latest assaults on tenure have invoked liberal egalitarian ideals. With all the problems in education, why are we so fixated on teacher tenure? What is really going on? How did tenure get its start, and why is it still necessary? The author ventures to answer all these questions, positing that tenure is necessary because it significantly strengthens legal protections by shifting to the employer the burden to prove the termination is justified. Tenure protects a range of discriminatory firings not covered under race and gender antidiscrimination laws. The author also points out that there are better ways to running the tenure system than what is happening currently. Places that have used master teachers to contribute to a peer assessment system have had good results.

Investigating the triangle: The school principal’s role, term of office, and school improvement in Greece

“…permanent status, continuous contract/service, and short-term contract/term of office). Tenure discourse underlined the need to increase school principals’ autonomy and ensure continuity and stability in school administration (Jacobs, 2016; Kahlenberg, 2016; Semendinger, 2000). Others considered that non-tenure enhances effectiveness, as it is a tool for accountability and promoting more proactive behaviour (Blaschke, 1974; Nir and Ifanti, 2016; Schleicher, 2012; Semendinger, 2000).…”

Tenured and non-tenured school principals in Greece: a historical approach

“…Bauck (1987, p. 92) indicated that '[ … ] tenure was related to effectiveness'; Bess (1998) stated that staff's motivation and productivity is linked more closely to organisational conditions rather than tenure. Permanent position is also seen as a means for reinforcing school principals' authority (European School Heads Association [ESHA] 2008) and protecting from the political interference (Kahlenberg 2016).…”

To tenure or not to tenure? Some implications for school leaders’ proactive behavior from a comparative perspective

“…While many studies address the controversial nature of teachers’ tenure (Hoffman, 2016; Kahlenberg, 2016; Loeb et al , 2015) and its impact on their behavior and professional considerations (Jones, 2015), the investigation of the effects of tenure on school leaders is relatively limited, mostly focusing on the relation between school leaders’ turnover, teacher retention and student achievements (Béteille et al , 2012). Although some findings suggest that leadership turnover improves organizational performance (Brown, 1982; Denis and Denis, 1995; Virany et al , 1992), more recent studies show that lack of tenure and the frequent replacement of principals may create instability in schools that can potentially undermine efforts for improvement (Gabriel and Dillon, 2011) and may be harmful for organizational performance (Audas et al , 1999; Azoulay et al , 2010).…”