Teacher Tenure or High Performance?

by Collin Hitt We’ve reached an important moment for education reform. Teacher tenure – the impregnable job protection held by teachers good and bad – could soon be replaced by a system that protects only high performance. The threat of strikes could be diminished. And school districts could no longer be forced to bargain away...

by Collin Hitt

We’ve reached an important moment for education reform. Teacher tenure – the impregnable job protection held by teachers good and bad – could soon be replaced by a system that protects only high performance. The threat of strikes could be diminished. And school districts could no longer be forced to bargain away hours from the school day and days from the school year.

In December, I testified on behalf of a reform package called Performance Counts. After months of tense negotiations, important concessions have been produced and these reforms have now reached legislative form in the Illinois Senate – Senate Bill 7. As the Chicago Tribune reported this morning, this legislation is a firm beginning to creating the modern teaching workforce our children need.

In Illinois, too many children go year upon year without being taught by an effective teacher. This will not change until excellent teachers are identified and bad teachers are replaced. Moreover, Chicago Public Schools has one of the shortest school days in the western world. Meanwhile, charter schools in the city have shown that extended learning time, when led by effective teachers, can produce remarkable learning gains. If Senate Bill 7 becomes law, district-run schools could soon have some leeway to innovate in ways similar to charter schools.

There is a great deal of work to be done to reform education in Illinois. But make no mistake, Senate Bill 7 is a step in the right direction. Read my piece in the State Journal-Register to learn more about this issue. Contact your elected officials in Springfield to share with them your thoughts about this important opportunity to improve schooling across Illinois.