Nine students sue state of California for 'ineffective' teachers

by The Stream Team @ajamstream

A lawsuit against the state of California set to begin on January 27 is drawing attention to how policies that protect teachers impact the quality of student education. The nonprofit group Students Matter filed the suit in May 2012 on behalf of nine California students. Vergara v. California seeks to overturn five state statutes that the organization says deny students quality education by shielding bad teachers from the consequences of their performances.

In the following video, a representative of the students explains how ineffective teachers who are protected from dismissal hurt students' chances of educational success.

View the story "California students sue for better education" on StorifyCalifornia students sue for better educationA lawsuit takes aim at the California Department of Education for protecting 'ineffective' teachers.Storified by AJAMStream· Tue, Jan 07 2014 12:28:26Highlight from Keynote Lunch with Ted Olson and Condoleezza Rice at #EIE13excelinedThe case is aimed at statutes including tenure after 18 months, dismissal procedures that set significant obstacles to firing a teacher and a "first-hired, first-fired" policy that values seniority before job performance. Another representative of the students contends the policies disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities.In Los Angeles Unified, the country's second largest school district, African-American and Latino students are two to three times more likely to have a teacher in the bottom quartile of effectiveness than their white and Asian peers.huffingtonpost.comOne critic of the case argued the issue is more complex:In fact, up to 90 percent of the factors that determine student performance are beyond the control of teachers.huffingtonpost.comMany are speculating on the potential repercussions of the case, both statewide and nationally.Relationships between local school districts and their bargaining units would be forever altered, and school districts and teachers would have to quickly find a new paradigm for hiring, evaluating, and firing staff.edsource.org“I think any time that you see a genuine reform in California, you empower reformers everywhere in the country who realize if you can actually fix something like that in California, you can fix it anywhere,” said Ed Ring, the executive director of the California Public Policy Center.washingtontimes.comReactions to the case have been mixed. Interesting that it is taking a group of students to have the courage to take on the CTA. Parents should have taken up this cause years ago.myfoxla.comMy biggest problem with teachers' unions is that they make removing bad teachers almost impossible by promoting automatic tenure, which is often abused.facebook.comThe fact is that teaching does not pay enough to attract the most talented candidates.washingtontimes.comWhile I think this is a good idea, the unintended consequences of this can be serious.washingtontimes.comPay goes up with each year of longevity in a school district, as it should. If there were no tenure, school districts would get rid of the most experienced teachers to save money.scpr.orgDo you think the lawsuit will improve the quality of education in California if it is successful? Leave a comment below.

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Nine students sue state of California for 'ineffective' teachers

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