By Kimberly Hefling
Washington - The National Council on Teacher Quality finds teachers are
seeing tenure protections weakened as states seek flexibility to fire
teachers. Some states have essentially nullified tenure altogether.
The
revisions come as states replace virtually automatic "satisfactory"
teacher evaluations with those linked to performance and base teacher
layoffs on performance instead of seniority. Unions argue the changes
lower morale, deny teachers due process and target older teachers.
Tenure
is designed to protect teachers from arbitrary or discriminatory
firings by spelling out how teachers can be dismissed after a
probationary period, but critics say it's too easy to earn.
The
council seeks to improve the quality of teaching. It says eight states
require student performance to be central to whether a teacher is
awarded tenure, which is up from none in 2009.
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