Liz and others reading this post - Of course it will cost our districts a lot of money, time, and effort to get rid of teachers who are failing to meet the expectations of their respective districts/school leadership. However, let's not forget the amount of damage that will be done to our society to have students graduate and enter it as passive participants. We need passionate, intelligent, focused life-long learners in the next generation to help us innovate our way out of the countless challenges facing our world. I don't think that we can make it to that goal with teachers in the classroom who are either under-prepared, unenthusiastic, or burned-out. The students take too many cues from us for us to model a message of mediocrity to them.

While there are many overworked and tired teachers in the world there are just as many jubilant and ebullient ones ready for any challenge that comes their way. We all have one thing in common however - our passion got us into this profession. The problem that I see is how we connect the most effective teachers with the overworked ones to help them remember how important and amazing this calling truly is. I don't think we have to immediately fire teachers who are ineffective - but we better find a better way to continually stoke their fires.

Yes, it is difficult to weed out incompetent teachers, expecially once they receive tenure. Although many systems have uniform evaluation tools, many do not employ uniform observation tools. Therefore, the criteria for classroom observations is not standardized. Teachers are observed subjectively, and for administrators new to a building, they then have to begin the papertrail, and justify the differences in opinion.
In regards to the mass firing in Rhode Island, how very sad. I am sure that there had to be a few, if not more, talented people who were very dedicated to their students. Educators are very much under the gun now, blamed for all of societies woes. Talk about prejudice and mass judgment. I hope that there are still college students willing to venture into education when everything is said and done.

There is some merit in this constant debate about ridding schools of poor teachers. Yes, the unions in all under-performing districts are unnecessarily strong. Yes, there are poor teachers in many schools. And yes, there needs to be better systems in place to remove those teachers. The fact, though, that this issue has become a political football cheapens and diminishes the other issues at play in search of a quantifiable solution.

Where I get all flummoxed in this debate is two-fold. How are we defining "great" teachers? Are they teachers who help their students pass the standardized tests that city, state, and federal officials obsess over? Or are they teachers who are able to help students overcome their many social, cultural, and personal deficiencies that are not being met at home? Or both? If we cannot clearly define what is "poor" and what is "great", this debate will resemble a dog chasing its tail. We will continue to burn out administrators and classroom teachers who grow weary of having a bulls eye on their backs while doing their absolute best to help these children. Put another way, this debate almost fuels the perpetuation of a system where the bad ones stay and the good ones go.

Secondly, what focusing on ridding schools of poor teachers fails to factor in are the community and culturally-based issues that transcend anything even the best teacher can accomplish in the classroom. By ignoring, or not tackling sufficiently the societal causes of poor performance in schools by the STUDENTS, we are once again absolving the parents, communities, and other invested stakeholders of the children of some degree of culpability. It is much easier, politically and socially, to take out our frustrations on the institutions that service this student population than on the attitudes and cultural paradigms that have sent children to school unprepared, unwilling, and uninterested in the value, exercise, and completion of an education.

I was surprised when I learned of the two year tenure rule. It *is* too short an amount of time. My suggestion for a change to this is a number even higher than three years.

Somewhere around the five year mark where the attrition curve hits would make sense.This should motivate admin and principals to do MORE to make the job appealing and rewarding independent of any other illusory promises: take the crutch of quick tenure out of the HR equation altogether.

Pay these "prospective" teachers better, train them better, in general just treat them better and "tenure" doesn't come up.

If we looked at the main objective, teaching our kids, as the priority, instead of protecting one's job, the solution is easy.
Too bad for our children that the union has the strength it has.

@David Ortiz

I think you suggest that a teacher can be "great" by "[helping] students overcome their many social, cultural, and personal deficiencies that are not being met at home." Could you clarify what you mean by "overcome?" I understand what you mean in the sense that students come with issues from outside the classroom, but I guess when you say "overcome," it implies that there's something they are accomplishing...do you have something in mind if it's not performing well on standardized tests?

Also, should doing your best be enough to keep your job? Is it possible that some people have great intentions, do their best, work hard and are still terrible teachers?

I think I agree that it's not good if the only thing to come from test scores is to punish bad teachers...the flip side of this is to reward the teachers who are doing well.

Lost in the discussion is who is doing the evaluating. Many, if not most, evaluations are written by administrators or department heads who view teaching as a menial job that they escaped from by moving up. During my 42-year career I had two principals tell me that administrators are really a support team, and they meant it. Other principals let us know they were the boss, never to be questioned. I received one poor evaluation because the department head could not understand the material that my students so easily learned that day. The same evaluator pounced on me because a student slipped quietly out of class to have her blood pressure checked without asking my permission, as she did everyday, with written permission from her mother and the school nurse. I received carefully written, insightful reviews and some written by people who could not spell or write a coherent sentence. I received glowing evaluations, critical evaluations and political evaluations. I remained in the classroom because I knew I could connect with students and make a difference. The students recognized that, and I worked with the same enthusiasm and dedication year after year. The only thing that changed was the evaluator.

Instruments can be written for objective evaluation, but they're almost always applied subjectively. In my opinion, teachers should plan as a team, try lessons and re-write if necessary, and then evaluate them. Team members will always call each other out if they slack off. There should be no flying alone because we should learn from our peers as well as our students. Add an administrator at an occasional evaluation, but remember that they may lack knowledge of the material, and they have lunch duty and discipline problems to handle.

Unions in MD are a joke. Yes, they can make getting rid of a teacher more difficult but they can't stop it and sometimes they even expedite it by not fighting bad decisions made at the school board level.
I agree with the others. We don't seem to be able to define "great" teachers on a regular basis. Until that happens, the tenure issue will be a problem.

Here's a thought - there are a number of administrators who will be evaluating these teachers who haven't spent 3, much less 5 years successfully in the classroom. Let's think about ways to better prepare and support teachers instead of threatening them. Let's think about teaching HR folks not to place new teachers in the most challenging schools. Let's think about revamping teacher preparation programs that fundamentally look the same as they did 17 years ago when I started. Let's think about where the supply of new teachers is going to come from particularly now in math and science. As always - solutions aren't always as simple as one would hope or read about!

I've worked with my fair share of tenured teachers who bring nothing to the classroom, but I won't go out of my way to let poor teachers be used as a union busting tactic. I agree with David, there is no concrete measurement in this debate of "poor" vs. "good". Principals that want to get rid of teachers who bring nothing to the table *can do so*. I have seen it in action. There is very little the Union can do against poor performance scores and continually unmet PIPs. The problem arises when administration institutes PIPs or other punitive measures with no follow up. There are very clear guidelines in the open-to-the-public published BTU handbook about the firing of staff, most admins I've worked with just drop the ball or ignore the problem until it's too late to follow those guidelines.

It's easy to look at teachers this way, especially in Baltimore where we are (at best) considered and treated as expendable resources. However, if you think BTU and early tenure is to blame for our School's problems (and I mean the real problems, not low HSA scores) than you need to take a closer look at the culture and community surrounding those schools and the lack of emphasis the majority puts on education.

David O - I think your comments are very thought provoking.

What you say about defining great teaching is true - everyone agrees it's near impossible to come to a consensus on what makes a teacher fantastic. But on the other hand, we all know poor teaching when we see it. What would you think about defining poor teaching as opposed to great teaching and seeing which teachers are fitting the poor teacher model? If a teacher is doing certain things they're just not doing a good job. For example, as a social studies teacher, I think that any SS teacher who teaches without primary sources needs some instructional support (and the sources in the textbook don't count). That teacher doesn't need to be terminated, mind you, but their instructional practices definitely need to change. A fair, accurate rubric would be very long, and would differ in every subject, but I venture to say it might be easier than creating a rubric for an ideal teacher. It would be a start, and would at least be better than the ambiguous and lenient system of teacher evaluation we have now.

I agree that some bad teachers are protected by the unions. HOWEVER, some good teachers need that protection because administrators can be very unfair. You can't criticize the unions without remembering why they were formed in the first place.

I am tired of the union bashing. I understand that it is bothersome to some that there are organizations which protect the rights of workers, but those organizations are there for a reason.

I know for a fact that it is possible to remove ineffective teachers and that Baltimore County Public Schools has a number of policies in place. Yes it may take two years, but the goal is to try to assist the teacher in improving their skills. If the teacher is unable to do so, then they are removed/fired.

But nothing also stops any administrator from rating a teacher as unsatisfactory, due to reasons other than their ability to instruct students effectively. Observation/evaluations can and have been used to attack individuals teachers, who are effective in the classroom, who are seen as being troublemakers and non-compliant with the current administration policy. I have seen teachers who once were rated outstanding (when that did exist in Baltimore County) become unsatisfactory with a change in Principal at the school.
The Principal saw the teachers as an obstacle to their control of the school. Tenure exists for this very reason. Unions/Associations exist for this very reason. They protect the individual from unwarranted attacks, because without these protections then any teacher is open to loss of their job if they speak out against potential or current failed policy. A recent example is the AIM progress reporting controversy and the number of teachers who did not want their names made available to Superintendent Dr. Hairston for fear of retaliation.

Baltimore County Schools Administration and the Teachers Association (NOT UNION-they cannot strike!) have worked together for years to get a policy which protects the individual rights of the teacher and still enables the administration to remove ineffective teachers. If all the t's are crossed and i's dotted, then there is no problem.

FYI
No teacher in Baltimore County can be rated higher than satisfactory. Therefore, very effective and mediocre instructors are seen as the same during the evaluation process if they are both rated satisfactory. Teachers can be only satisfactory,needs improvement, or unsatisfactory. Not much motivation to improve here. Teachers don't work for accolades, but some incentive and attaboys do go a long way.

Without protections for employees one must trust in the boss/administration to always be correct. This arrangement has great potential to create a fascist environment, and it will not always be a benevolent one. The rights of the individual should always be protected.

The thing that the union does is make sure that the procedures used to remove a teacher are followed. There is a provision in COMAR that states that a teacher may be given a third year before tenure i s given. Too many times administrators find it easier to transfer their at risk teachers than go throught the process to terminate them. There are also procedures to terminate teachers who have been granted tenure. It is not an easy process but it can be done.

An important piece of this are the mentors. But now Baltimore County wants to get rid of help for new teachers to put in evaluators who will not be school based. We are going to lose the new teachers who might need a helping hand on the way to becoming great teachers.

The thing that the union does is make sure that the procedures used to remove a teacher are followed. There is a provision in COMAR that states that a teacher may be given a third year before tenure i s given. Too many times administrators find it easier to transfer their at risk teachers than go throught the process to terminate them. There are also procedures to terminate teachers who have been granted tenure. It is not an easy process but it can be done.

An important piece of this are the mentors. But now Baltimore County wants to get rid of help for new teachers to put in evaluators who will not be school based. We are going to lose the new teachers who might need a helping hand on the way to becoming great teachers.

DOrtiz - Well said.

There are some shockingly bad tenured teachers in BCPSS. In the school where I initially taught one teacher spent the entire day every day on her cell phone, very openly talking to the married man she was seeing, while her first graders did packets or watched movies, and yet learned very little first grade material, like how to read. She's now about to become a principal. The fourth and fifth grade teachers would go to Sam's Club and buy bulk snacks, and sell them to their class for profit, and show movies. Several teachers would openly hit the students, and very openly encourage students to hit other students ("he hit you, now hit him back in front of the class." (During this math lesson I'm supposedly teaching). Raising tenure to three years won't help that particular problem. More direct supervision by a qualified and competent administration would be a start; there's no excuse for teachers just floating by because no one really knows what goes on in their classrooms. And really bad tenured teachers shouldn't be untouchable.
Having said that, I don't think it's fair to force good (new to the system) teachers wait four years to transfer from an awful school. (Tenure, last time I check, takes effect the FIRST day of your third year, so for transferring purposes you have to wait until the end of your third year anyway, unless you figure out a way to leave your school and get hired elsewhere after the school year has begun. So if tenure goes up, it would mean waiting until your fourth year to transfer. Thanks to the wonderful option to transfer, I now work in an ethical and productive city school. I just had to wait a little longer than I would have liked to get there.

There is a little problem with getting rid of poor teachers... how do you know which teachers are 'poor' and which teachers have students who are underfed, whose families are underpaid and poor, etc....... and weed out what the teachers are doing wrong (if anything) from the familial situation?

The answer is that you cannot, will not, and never will be able to.

To Larry, stop bashing on the teacher's union..... the fact is that they are just trying to prevent teachers from being held responsible for things that they have NO CONTROL OVER!
You say that they are 'protecting bad teachers'.... I say that it's almost bleeping impossible to prove that someone is a 'bad teacher' in our public school systems where today anywhere from 25-50% of students (AT LEAST) are poor students.

To comment on Nick's post.... one person's 'mediocrity' is another person's "Good enough since no one else is doing any better!"

Personally, that is what I live by...... average is good enough, when there is no 'reward' for excelling at something, either with extra pay, praise, etc.

If you want to change that? Change how people are rewarded today..... I don't mean making it so that the average people are harassed, I mean change it so that the stellar performers are rewarded.

I get rid of TRASH! I highly resent to title of this blog entry. You are talking about people! Humans! I come from a family of educators who all work harder than anyone I know for less money than most professionals with a Master's degree and endless advanced courses. Are there some poor teachers? Sure.There are poor members of all professions. Doctors kill people, lawyers fail their clients, bridges fall,priests molest, and on and on. But for the most part,the teachers I know do a terrific job of not only teaching but also acting as parent,therapist, dietician,social worker etc. None of those extra jobs were what we trained to do but we do it willingly and joyfully every day. The problems we confront every day would overwhelm all but the most passionate,dedicated, and knowledgeable.Personally I am sick of the abuse.Could/would we suggest getting rid of some parents? Kids?Administrators? Superintendents? I know that I would not do so as I am more respectful of all people. The Sun has turned into the National Enquirer and as one of your few remaining subscribers, I am done. You know who I am. check my billing record.Farewell.

The BCPSS union is a totally do nothing union that helps no one;kids or teachers! Further, my only objective is to be an excellent teacher and not only teach students but support them in a hundred other ways. This is what I have always wanted to do, this is what I trained for and this is what I do very well. I teach in the City with a whole staff of like-minded educators who CHOOSE to stay in the City and take daily abuse from parents, the media, and society,in general. Why? Because we feel passionately about giving our students the best chance at a good life that we can humanly provide. Do you teach? Are you a good parent? Do you volunteer in a local school? Do you support your child's teacher? If so, wonderful! If not, please spend a week or so in the City Schools and begin to understand the challenges we face. Please stop beating up the best people some kids have going for them. I work with many school volunteers who love volunteering but always comment that "They had no idea of the reality of teaching today."

I have taught for almost 20 years in both Baltimore City and County. I have chosen to commit my time and effort to working with students who could be identified as special education, having an ADA 504 plan, at-risk, and other "reluctant learners". My concern with tying teacher evaluations and salaries to student achievement is that no two students are created equal and teaching is in no way an exact science. Many factors that affect student achievement have nothing to do with teaching: socio-economic status; attendance; parent expectations, language skills and involvement; community and media influences; teen pregnancy; alcohol and drug use; gang influence; class size; etc. Schools do not usually see children for the critical first five years of a their lives.

I have always received satisfactory evaluations, but if I were to be held liable because my struggling students do not achieve at the higher level of honors and GT students, I would feel pressure to request that I teach higher achieving students.

I agree with Mr Rational in regards to teacher tenure. Five years should be when teachers should be up for tenure under a rigorous review. Only then will teachers begin to take their profession seriously and work hard for the benefit of the students. I have seen too many teachers with ten or more years doing nothing but collecting a paycheck that gets higher each year for little work. There are a lot of great teachers who are willing to work hard for their students and could benefit from a change to the tenure format in place now.

I agree with Mr Rational in regards to teacher tenure. Five years should be when teachers should be up for tenure under a rigorous review. Only then will teachers begin to take their profession seriously and work hard for the benefit of the students. I have seen too many teachers with ten or more years doing nothing but collecting a paycheck that gets higher each year for little work. There are a lot of great teachers who are willing to work hard for their students and could benefit from a change to the tenure format in place now.

Posted by: Sterlzs | February 28, 2010 7:33 PM
___________________________

And I have to say that you are most likely lying about that..... the last time I heard that, I went and looked at the teacher who OTHER TEACHERS were getting on her case...... she wasn't teaching any differently than the other teachers EXCEPT that she didn't give busywork and homework.... because in the former it just makes children resentful and in the latter, if a child gets stuck....... they have no one to help them at home usually.

For all the discussion here about tenure starting at 2 years or 3 years of 5 years, I think we ignore the fact that - anecdotally, at least - it's the teachers who have been around for 25 or 30 years who can be just as much of a problem in the classroom as young teachers. What do we do about teachers who have tenure but have stopped making an effort?

@ David Ortiz

You think a good teacher is one who helps students overcome obstacles, but I think that requires some clarification. Overcome obstacles in order to...do what? How can you tell when a teacher has helped a student overcome obstacles? Is it something you measure or can you just eyeball it? And how would you like for the school system to start holding parents and communities responsible? Thanks for your clarifications!

Simon-

When I say "overcome", what I am suggesting is that a teacher has helped a student successfully address issues that were not meant at home. Issues can range from social deficiencies like appropriate conflict resolution and anger management to cultural deficiencies like instilling an intrinsic worth of staying in school, going to college, and learning for the sake of learning. These are skills that are simply not being addressed in many of our children's homes and immediate communities. Now, if a teacher successfully helps a child tackle these issues, but has then has low test scores, he or she is more easily judged as a "poor" teacher based on the quantitative data.

I, for one, have great relationships with my high school students. I work hard to get them to a point where they care about themselves, their worth, and their education. But sadly, their tests scores remain woefully low. Do I consider myself a "poor" teacher? Under the prevailing rubric of North Ave and other central offices, the answer would be yes. In my mind, the answer is an emphatic no. Schools are incubators and proving grounds for a world beyond these walls. If we cannot help them navigate successfully in the world beyond, a passed test means little in the longview of teacher effectiveness. In an ideal world, I could do both. I work hard to make that happen, but sometimes (most times), it is simply beyond my grasp.

Now I recognize that the North Ave mentality is data-driven and results must be measured in a stream-lined and efficient quantitative way. Test scores is the easiest way to measure this so therefore it becomes the default standard. I posit that in addition to using scores, administrators and the networks need to devise systems to measure teachers in meaningful qualitative ways if they really want to root out "poor" teachers. Those whose scores are low AND have little interest in helping student "overcome" those deficiencies.

Doing your best, in most circumstances, should not be a measure of your ability to keep your job. Sometimes, people arent cut out to be educators in the city. Its not for lack of trying. It may simply not be the right fit. On the same token though, administrators and the network folks (you like my continued references to them?) should be cognizant of the effort those people are making and see if there might be a better professional fit. I would wager that those that are trying at that level of care is indicative of a drive that shouldnt simply be dismissed because they dont fit well into the classroom. This town likes to pick on new teachers because/when they struggle. Lip service is paid to support, but as Brandon said, we are treated as expendable resources all too often and the cycling of struggling, new teachers continues.

Lastly, I find that all too often in this town, we reward good teachers by removing them from the classroom and putting them in positions of authority-as a teacher mentor, as an administrator, as a network liaison, as a reconstruction consultant, or in some other capacity. We need to not only reward good teachers system-wide, but we need to KEEP them in the classroom and help give our students continuity and experience that will empower them.

Hope that answers your question(s) sufficiently.

Simon,
You want to know how to get rid of "old" teachers? Do like industry does (and some forward-looking school districts) and offer them buyouts for early retirement. It has been done in other districts and, believe me, there are many of these teachers who have stopped trying who would be thrilled to retire but have to work for 2 or 3 more years to get the benefits and other things that they should deserve. It is a shame that this option isn't out there. I know of at least four teachers at my school who would fall into this category. Some of them have stopped trying because health issues have made it difficult for them to function. Others are just disgusted with a system that keeps on trying new ideas every other year like a new pair of shoes and not producing results. Some are just tired of the bull and want out but--no--they have to wait until "full" retirement comes around. Why not try something different?

I often wonder if there will ever be an end to this debate. As a teacher in BCPSS and a former BCPS employee, this issue seems to come up often. I think that there are too many teachers coming into the system with the attitude that they are going to "change the system" and save us from ourselves. I think that there are many factors that can be considered on all sides. Socioeconomic issues, lack of parental involvement, lack of support from administrators and parents. I believe that there are some ineffective teachers in the schools. As wise educator has pointed out, you have good and bad workers in all professions. We are not saying that nothing should be done about the lax attitude of some, but to throw the baby out with the bath water is not the proper approach.
Just today, I had this discussion about the changes that have taken place in the school system over the last decade. Even the "good" schools are experiencing a slide in standards, but I feel that if we continue to try to run our school systems like corporate entities, education will continue to suffer. Too often the thought of dollars has trumped all else. I think the one-size-fits-all approach to education does not work. Standardized testing tells nothing of the overall present and future success of a student. But non-teachers feel that they want to see some results in order to justify paying tax dollars to the state.

Another point that contributes to complacency in schools is the prevalent belief about the purpose of an education. It is true that excelling in school is important if one wants to get good grades, acquire skills for certain jobs, or move toward a good career. I agree with this in part, but education (particularly public education) is not job training. Schools should foster interests in ideas, gain knowledge in everything (not just a narrow field), and help you grow as a citizen and human being.
If the interesting part of education is once again emphasized in all areas of a child's life, school will be more exciting and enjoyable to students. Students are bored, displaced, and detached from adult society. Because of this, many social ills such as teen pregnancy, gang involvement, drug and alcohol abuse became prevalent.
When we acknowledge that education is more than just skill acquisition, entertainment, or a stepping stone, many of these problems will end.

Finally, poverty, lack of parental involvement, single parent households, and many other factors that today are considered as reasons why students don't succeed existed thirty, fifty, a hundred years ago; the only difference is that those students were allowed to understand the harsh realities of not doing your best. Always remember that... some of the great leaders of the past and present may have had the same cards stacked against them. Students, parents, administrators, communities, and even teachers need to take responsibility for their role in this complacency. Entitlement is not an option. Striving for excellence is an expectation not a exception.

Non-teachers should stop giving lip service about how important we teachers are in the lives of their children while treating us as glorified day care providers. Student achievement is everyone's responsibility, including the student.

Thanks, Mitch. Until everyone accepts responsibility, nothing will improve.

3 out of 55,000. Hard to believe and we wonder why the public schools continue to fail the majority of its students while cost continue to spiral out of control.
There is no business in America today where only three people out of 55K employees are let go because of poor performance - check that, the same could be said for the federal sector.

Mitch is 100% correct. As a former student of the baltimore city school system ('74 to '86) i have seen a shift in the way our children are educated. before the early 80's it was accountability and responsibility. both in the schools and @ home. if you failed, you repeated. period. no self esteem and social promotion. also the mindset back in the day was that you had to succeed. failure was not an option in my home. and if you couldnt make it one way, they found another way to help you. Schools were not baby sitters! we went there to work.. and got WHUPPED if we didn't do what we were supposed to do! I loved many of my teachers because they were a continuation of my home life. hard work. responsibility and accountability.

You cannot get this generation to understand that. everything is supposed to come so easy to them! its the microwave generation the computer generation. they feel that cheating is ok, and "skating" is just fine. do the minimum and move on! I speak to them all the time and wonder where on earth did they git this from??? I tell my nephew to get the trash ready for trash day and he expects to get PAID!!??
teachers are not to blame for this. PARENTS ARE! I cannot expect a teacher to succeed where a parent has failed their own child!

Until parents are held accountable nothing will change. Teachers are being blamed for every educational deficit of students and it is not fair. The teachers in RI losing their jobs because more than half the students cannot read. Well they could not read in elementary and middle school either. They did not suddenly get to high school and could not read. Why didn't the PARENTS notice and ring the alarm in 3rd grade? If the PARENTS do not value education the home, the kids won't anywhere else. STOP BLAMING TEACHERS FOR STUPID KIDS! LEARNING BEGINS AT HOME!!!!

@ExBmoreTeacher

Ok, I'll bite....how would you like to see parents held accountable?

There are many more poor administrators then teachers. Poor administrators destroy good teachers.

I agree that parents play a big role in education. I am a product of Baltimore County Schools & my parents had a real interest in my schooling. Every year (until I graduated) they met with all my teachers, vice principals, principles etc. They even knew the secretaries on a 1st name basis. My parents backed up the teachers. Education played an important role in my household & my parents made it clear. They didn’t wait until there was a problem to visit the school. They were there in the beginning so it would not be any problems.

I graduated about 20 years ago. Now I have a child in Baltimore County Schools. I notice that hardly any parents participate in the PTA. I have friends who have kids in city schools & they have never gone to their Childs school. Fortunately, I came from a two parent household & so does my child. It is probably is a little easier b/c we share the responsibility…. If you can take off of work to do personal activities you can take off to visit your child’s school. If you don’t work .. Then there is really no excuse.

Parenting carries over to schooling .. as well as schooling carries over to the home. A lot more of these parents need to place a greater emphasis on education. The teachers/School system cannot do it alone. Parents/Guardians should bear a lot of the responsibility as well.

I can not believe that teachers are consistently being targeted as the reason schools fail. Poor leaders destroy good teachers. I have worked under administration that are not fit to run a hen house but know the right people. Teachers have been harassed and been practically ran out of schools with no regard for their excellent teaching ability. If the administration does not like you they go after you.
lets first clean up the leaders and our schools will improve a hundred percent.