Although there are many varying opinions on what revisions should be made to the tenure system in America, I believe that even though there are many complaints, Tenure needs to be maintained in order to promote academic freedom and educational security. Tenure is defined by Mathew Finkin as “At the expiration of a period of probation, commonly not to exceed six years of full-time service, a faculty member is either to be accorded “tenure” or to be given a terminal appointment for the ensuing academic year. Thereafter, the professor can be discharged only for “just cause” or other permissible circumstances and only after a hearing before a body of his or her academic peers” (Finkin 3). Tenure, in recent years, has become a point of heated contention throughout the U.S. Opponents of the system cite reasons such as the continual employment of under-performing teachers, the administrative difficulties, and the public disillusionment with the tenure system in order to support their stance that tenure be abolished. Proponents of the system argue that tenure is the one barrier that allows teachers to maintain academic freedom in the U.S., and effectively educate students in America. Regardless of the administrative difficulties of tenure, or the lack of public support, tenure is a vital component of the education system in America and should be maintained at all cost.
There are many varying issues that have been brought up with tenure, but the debate has been clearly divided by those who believe that we should abolish tenure and those who believe we should maintain tenure in America. The primary advocates of maintaining the tenure system consist of Teachers and a portion of the public. On the other hand, those who argue against tenur...
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... the fact that not only do these presidents have tenure themselves, but they also have first-hand experience in dealing with tenure issues.
Works Cited
Daniel Weisberg. "Should teachers get tenure?." Should teachers get tenure?. CBS, n.d. Web. 7 May 2012. .
M.J. Stephey "Should teachers get tenure?." Should teachers get tenure?. CBS, n.d. Web. 7 May 2012. .
Heather Wolpert-Gawron "Should teachers get tenure?." Should teachers get tenure?. CBS, n.d. Web. 7 May 2012. .
Chait, Richard. The questions of tenure. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2002. Print.
"Tenure Cartoons and Comics." CartoonStock - Cartoon Pictures, Political Cartoons, Animations.. Original Artist, n.d. Web. 23 May 2012. .
Skowornek writes, “these presidents each set out to retrieve from a far distant, even mythic, past fundamental values that they claim had been lost in the indulgences of the received order, In this way, the order-shattering and order-affirming impulses of the presidency in politics became mutually reinforcing.” (Skowornek, 37, book). These presidents are in the best position not because they are exceptional at their job but because the time they came into office offered them the elasticity and authority to make new orders and be welcomed by the public because he is taking the country out of its troubles and challenges.
The U.S. president is a person deemed to be the most fitting person to lead this country through thick and thin. It’s been such a successful method that it has led to 43 individual men being put in charge of running this country. However, this doesn’t mean that each one has been good or hasn’t had an issue they couldn’t resolve when in office. But no matter what, each one has left a very unique imprint on the history and evolution of this nation. However when two are compared against one another, some rather surprising similarities may be found. Even better, is what happens when two presidents are compared and they are from the same political party but separated by a large numbers of years between them. In doing this, not only do we see the difference between the two but the interesting evolution of political idea in one party.
Guggenheim uses those and other devices to inspire action within the masses, and highlight a topic that has been recently shrouded by other problems our nation faces today. He also places blame upon the ‘system’ itself, many reasons add to this conclusion such as refusal to make change, with tenure being the central idea that cripples education.
He also argues that without tenure it would to be easier to fire the 10 percent of teachers that are poor performers. I personally agree with Matthew Miller’s proposal.
Back in 1980, Republican president nominee Ronald Reagan pledged throughout his campaign that it was his goal to “restore the great, confident roar of American progress, growth and optimism”. Restoration, reinvigoration, and reclamation of values believed to be lost by the presidential treachery he was succeeding. Fast forward to 2008, Democratic president nominee Barack Obama did not see a need for restoration, he saw a need for new waves with his slogan “change we can believe in” after the economic destruction by W. Bush. Being such dramatic foils, the two men represent different eras of American politics. The unprecedented election of Obama severed Reagan’s seemingly everlasting legacy, signaling real changes coming to the presidency. The “Reagan Revolution” is remembered as an era of conservatism and economic peace, while Obama’s terms are viewed with mixed emotions. Obama’s impact can definitely be argued, as political information was more readily accessible in his presidency than any other in history; thanks to new technology and social communications, but since time has passed, so can Reagan’s. The use of their presidential powers is what a president is remembered for. Assessing the ranges in their backgrounds, motivations, policy creation and execution, and overall achievements, one can determine
Professors with tenure, contend Hacker and Dreifus, are not motivated to perform well and therefore will engage the students in the way Hacker and Dreifus believe they should. To correct this, Hacker and Dreifus advocate for tenures to be replaced with multiyear contracts to ensure professors work hard for their own benefit and for the benefit of the students’. Keep the teachers in the classrooms inspiring young minds rather than taking unnecessary paid vacations, assert Hacker and Dreifus, who believe sabbaticals should be limited. Hacker and Dreifus also agree that adjunct teachers, professors who teach at a college but do not receive the same benefits as their peers who are, in fact, faculty members, should receive similar benefits. Capitalizing on adjunct teachers should be discouraged, demand the authors. Presidents of colleges, on the other hand, should receive less, more reasonable compensation for their
The Honorable Jonathan Yates, former deputy general counsel for the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight of the U. S. House of Representatives, writes, “This lifetime term now enjoyed by justices not only contravenes the spirit of the Constitution, it counters the role intended for the court as a minor player in the equal judiciary branch of government. Term limits are needed to adjust the part of the court to the intent of the founding fathers” (Np). Judge Yates explains that the greatest powers of the Supreme Court did not originate from the Constitution or Congress, but from their own rulings (Np). The most prominent of which, was being Marbury v. Madison, in which the court granted itself judicial review, or the power to determine the constitutionality of legislation (Yates). Furthermore, the intended role of the court by the founding fathers was so small, that it did not have a home, or meet to hear any cases (Yates). An amendment to the Constitution removing the lifetime tenure of U.S. Supreme Court judges needs consideration by Congress. Lifetime tenure on the U.S. Supreme Court has led to four points that could not have been foreseen by the creators of the Constitution. The first problem resulting from the Supreme Court’s tenure policy is that judges’ are holding on to their seats, disregarding debilitating health issues. The second issue that has arisen from lifetime tenure is the use of strategic retirement by sitting judges to ensure a like-minded replacement. The third development resulting from lifetime tenure is the steady decrease in case decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court. The fourth and final effect lifetime tenure has had on the Supreme Court is an increase in celebrity status of the judges, which has le...
The faces in this political cartoon are very exaggerated, giving a very comedic feel. Obama's chin was made longer and he has huge ears. The Pope wasn't given a neck in this cartoon, as well as a big forehead. It makes the audience laugh due to the ridiculous illustrations.
"The New Mayor and Teachers." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Dec. 2013. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
People in improper position of authority remove trust in the public. America has the latter of these two and the consequences are felt nationally. Dr. Naison brought up Duncan, “a former basketball player who never taught a day in his life…” (Naison, 1:05) to reveal that someone, so inexperienced, is the Secretary of Education. And is making the point that people like Duncan damage the Educational System, not help it. Duncan, among other inadequate leaders, have lead the charge to “make it run like a business...” (Naison, 4:33). A business requires standardization, so all schools must be taught the same thing across the nation, no matter what surrounds the school. The idea is that to equalize the playing field, everyone can equal opportunity to succeed. But if this equalization does not work in small scale in one school, it is impractical that it will work full-scale across the country. It only hinders people but this time it is a much larger problem. To fail the standards, results in the school closing. To follow what Lynch said: “ overcrowded classrooms are making it even tougher to learn” (10 Reasons, paragraph 3). Those in the Educational administration are so delusional in this standardization, that they have ignored the vast, domino consequences that have appeared because of their lack of
Fischer, L., Schimmel, D., & Stellman, L. (2007). Teachers and the law (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Mir, S. (2011), Education woes: Shortage of teachers a threat to public schools, Tribune, 3 April.
Strauss, Valerie. "Why teachers’ salaries should be doubled now." The Washington Post. N.p., 25 Mar. 2014. Web. 5 Apr. 2014. .
In many states, teachers are underpaid. Though money is not the motive for most teachers, without enticing salaries, many are lured away from the teaching profession and graduates looking for a first year teaching position are not given much to look forward to. So, since teachers are not paid adequately, raising the pay scale would ensure that our children are left in the hands of quality educators. One way teachers can be sufficiently compensated is by merit pay. The formula is simple; as test scores and evaluations rise, so would the teachers’ salaries. Although controversial, it is just one of many
As you can see the school board handles many issues from budgets, to tenure, to performance scores, to conferences. Although this paper did not cover everything in the meeting, it summarized what took place, and what affects it would have on teachers. The decisions made no matter how big or small can influence how and what task a teacher performs. The school board meeting was interesting because you are able to see how the changes could affect you personally.