Teacher tenure — a mark of excellence
Teacher tenure does not get the respect it deserves. That’s because many people, including some teachers, don’t understand what tenure really is, or what it should mean.
Most people know that tenure exists to protect a teacher’s academic freedom, and to guarantee that due process rights will be respected if a teacher comes into conflict with an administrator or elected official.
In reality, tenure is much more. It is proof that teachers have earned certification and have successfully completed a three-year probationary period during which they are required to be carefully monitored and mentored by administrators.
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers believes tenure should be seen as a mark of excellence, as well as a necessary protection for teachers.
Some politicians claim that tenure just gives “lifetime employment” to ”bad teachers.” They call it an archaic law that should be abolished in the name of school reform.
In the 2010 legislative session, LFT will fight to protect tenure. We will also work for legislation to increase respect for the value of tenure.
We want tenure to be an active and meaningful process, one that
honors the teaching profession and enhances the teacher’s professional credentials.
Proposed law will reinforce tenure's role as a mark of excellence
House Bill 1313 by Rep. Herbert Dixon (D-Alexandria) is a first step toward making tenure the mark of excellence that it should be.
When adopted into law, the Act will say that tenure “assure(s) that students are provided with high quality teachers who are free from political or personal retribution and are guaranteed the right to teach in accordance with best practices and with the best interests of their students as their primary concern.”
There’s more. Right now, teachers who earn tenure never receive an official notification of the honor. That will change. When the Act becomes law, the superintendent of the district will be required to send a “congratulatory letter” to each teacher who earns tenure, explaining the teacher’s rights under tenure, and the expectations that the system has of tenured teachers.
Learn more and the LFT and teacher tenure!
Read the full text of HB 1313: Click here
Download a flier explaining LFT's position on teacher tenure: Click here.
Read the Federation's recent convention resolution about teacher tenure: Click here.
Read what LFT's blog, EdLog, has reported about teacher tenure: Click here.