Getting Rid Of Bad Teachers

WASHINGTON (AP) - Are you a parent who thinks it's hard for
schools to get bad teachers out of the classroom? A new survey says
there are teachers who would agree with you.
More than half of teachers polled believe it's too difficult to
weed out ineffective teachers who have tenure. Nearly half say they
personally know such a teacher.
The findings are in a survey released by the Education Sector, a
nonpartisan think tank.
Tenure provides teachers with job security and generally is
awarded a few years after educators enter the profession. It's
supposed to ensure that teachers can't be fired at the whim of a
principal or angry parent.
But it also can make it extremely difficult to dismiss a teacher
who is doing a bad job.
According to the survey, a majority of teachers think the
evaluation process for new teachers should be strengthened, so that
weak teachers don't become entrenched.