There has been much discussion lately about the tenure track for teachers, whether elementary, high school or college. With Obama’s Race to the Top initiative, “states leading the way on school reform will be eligible to compete for$4.35 billion in Race to the Top competitive grants to support
education reform and innovation in classrooms”.

And which school district wouldn’t want their share of $4.35 billion? So, the pressure is on. Specifically, it’s on teachers. And their benefits. And their ability to become tenured (employed for life) even if their students aren’t succeeding.

The debate is a tough one. As the educator’s of our children, they hold the key to our nation’s future success. And there are those teachers who dedicate themselves to the betterment of the students. But the problem lies not with those people, but rather with those who abuse the system, reap the benefits, and are unable to be fired simply because they managed to hang around for a certain number of years.

Gone are the days of automatic tenure without performance metrics that are tracked, measured, and are able to be proven. Students have to excel. Budgets have to be met. Goals have to be set and achieved. It’s been this way in the business world forever. Time for academia to get on track.