A discussion of Virginia Community Colleges' personnel policy is presented. Procedures discussed include those for: (1) dismissal of college personnel holding faculty rank, (2) non-reappointment of college personnel holding faculty rank, (3) faculty grievance, and (4) professional employees' appointment policy. (CK)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Dismissal
Criteria and procedures for dismissing full-time faculty at Grays Harbor College are listed. These procedures are to be followed for faculty dismissal because of program termination or reduction, decreases in enrollment, changes in educational policy or substantial evidence of a serious shortage of funds. All phases of the reduction process are covered, from the president's determination that a reduction will be necessary to the right of dismissed tenured faculty to recall to a teaching...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrative Policy, College Faculty, Community Colleges, Criteria, Faculty...
The speaker accepts the theory that nothing happens for the betterment of education until the superintendent develops an educational climate that is conducive to a healthy learning situation and a positive attitude from the community. A healthy climate is greatly enhanced when the process of personnel evaluation starts with the board and the superintendent and includes all other personnel within the school district. (Author/IRT)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Environment, Elementary Secondary Education, Personnel Evaluation,...
The Interim Committee on Teacher Evaluation and Dismissal was established by (Colorado) Senate Joint Resolution 97-14 to study the state's teacher evaluation and dismissal laws and explore alternatives. The committee was directed to study the relationship between education reform and employment protections for teachers; the effectiveness of adding "unsatisfactory performance" to grounds for teacher dismissal; the effectiveness of the teacher evaluation system; the balance between...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Contracts, Elementary Education, Program Effectiveness, State Legislation, Teacher...
In this speech, the author identifies and discusses some misconceptions about tenure, discusses some problems encountered in dismissing tenured teachers, and offers solutions for improving this dismissal process. To improve the dismissal process, the author urges that (1) boards of education consult an attorney when contemplating a tenure decision; (2) the membership of tenure commissions include lawyers; and (3) tenure commissions be given authority to appoint hearing officers to serve local...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Due Process, Speeches, Teacher Dismissal, Teacher Employment, Teacher Welfare,...
This 29-item selected annotated bibliography includes recent articles, books, and collected essays on the concept of accountability in education. There are no divisions; the documents are listed alphabetically as to author. There is no article older than December 1970. (Related document is SP 006 489.) (JA)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Accountability, Annotated Bibliographies, Bibliographies, Educational Responsibility,...
This book contains the text with annotations of the most recent (1961) Code of Professional Ethics from the National Education Association (NEA). Enumerated in the code are four principles of commitment--commitment to the students, the public, the profession, and Professional Employment Practices. Also included in this book are 53 Opinions of the NEA from 1952 to 1967. Topics included in these opinions are blanket applications for employment, acceptance of position during school controversy,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrative Principles, Contracts, Ethics, Guidelines, Standards, Teacher...
This second report of the Commission on Public School Personnel Policies in Ohio is concerned with teacher tenure in the state of Ohio and need for changes in the tenure law. The basic positions of the commission are that teachers should be protected against arbitrary and unwarranted action by their employers but that professional incompetence cannot be tolerated for any reasons. Tenure should not be viewed as guaranteed life employment, according to the commission; it has been viewed as such...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Contracts, Teacher Characteristics, Teacher Dismissal, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher...
Proposition 74 on the Nov. 8, 2005 ballot would change employment terms for certificated school employees, such as teachers, school librarians, counselors, nurses, and instructional specialists. Because the largest population affected is teachers, most discussions of the ballot measure--also known as the teacher tenure or Put Kids First initiative--focus on them. The two proposed changes intend to make it easier to dismiss ineffective teachers, but some observers question whether the changes...
Topics: ERIC Archive, State Legislation, State Standards, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Competencies,...
Teachers should, and would, be held accountable for learning outcomes if those outcomes were assessed on a broader base than the mere testing of students. Instruction and Professional Development of the National Education Association suggests that at least six elements (established goals, students regularly assessed, varied and individualized programs, established staff criteria, abundant resources, and the nature of governance) be considered when attempting to assess learning outcomes....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Accountability, Cost Effectiveness, Educational Responsibility, Governance, School...
This document outlines the policy and review procedures of Schenectady County Community College on continuing and career appointments. The policy was adopted by the Board of Trustees to establish conditions under which staff members could, for the first time, receive appointments for more than one year. The policy applies to instructional staff (continuing appointments) and professional noninstructional staff (career appointments) in full-time positions. The process for continuing or career...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Faculty Evaluation, Personnel Evaluation, Personnel Policy,...
This document, noting that teacher evaluation has now become a terror for teachers due to legislation such as the Stull Act, reviews the major assessment alternatives for teacher competence appraisal. The author discusses the use and merits of ratings, observations, and pupil test performance and finds them all to have fatal defects. He then describes as a final alternative the use of teacher performance tests, which he first advocated for use in the mid-sixties. The rationale behind this type...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Competence, Criterion Referenced Tests, Evaluation Methods, Performance Criteria,...
By providing more accurate and complete data, a personal exit interview is superior to an exit questionnaire; however, separation interviews in the field of education are not common. To optimize the benefits of an exit interview for both the district and the departing employee, a formal, oral interview should be scheduled within the last 4 weeks of employment. Key areas to cover in this meeting include (1) the reason for separation; (2) the positive aspects of the job; (3) the employees'...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, Employment Practices, Personnel Management, Personnel...
The first part of this paper deals with teacher suspension and dismissal as tools for correcting teacher behavior. Three cases involving teacher discipline are examined, one leading to resignation, a second to improved teacher behavior, and a third to a tenure hearing and dismissal. Part 2 of this paper examines the need to reduce staff when districts face declining enrollment, as well as disposition of school buildings and school closing. Failure to recognize the problems associated with...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Declining Enrollment, Reduction in Force, School Buildings, School Closing, Teacher...
At many colleges and universities in the United States, the mystique of tenure has provided tenured faculty, even incompetent and inactive faculty, a protected status. Dismissing a tenured faculty member requires a specified cause for termination, and is often one of the most difficult personnel actions that a college can take. Dealing with incompetent faculty requires a strong evaluation process and campuswide understanding of policy and procedures. This article provides a step-by-step case...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Administration, Faculty Evaluation, Higher Education, Personnel Policy,...
In this paper, the author defines due process, discusses its elements, describes its minimum essentials, and examines court cases which apply the doctrine to teachers, administrators, and students. The court cases discussed by the author indicate situations in which due process is mandated and the extent of due process required in these situations. According to the report, an accused is due notice of his shortcomings and an opportunity to appear and face his accusers. Further, the accused, in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrators, Due Process, Guides, School Law, Student Rights, Students, Teacher...
The purpose of this paper is to examine ways in which junior high school staff might be reoriented to better function within new objectives, methods, and materials. It is hypothesized that reexamined objectives have indicated a need for greater emphasis in affective-social psychological areas. Staff development within such a context consists of teacher selection, teacher assignment, teacher development, and teacher release. Teachers hired should possess characteristics consonant with the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Humanistic Education, Objectives, Secondary School Teachers, Staff Orientation,...
Chapter 10 of a revised volume on school leadership, this chapter considers the recruitment, evaluation, supervision, dismissal, and professional development of teachers. The chapter also summarizes practical wisdom on these topics and offers suggestions for administrators. Recruiting and selecting teachers may be the most critical tasks faced by school administrators. Because the teacher marketplace is increasingly competitive, aggressive recruiting is needed to obtain the best teachers,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, Instructional Leadership, Professional Development,...
This document focuses on the issues involved when changes in school district staff size are planned and revises the 1977 document, "Reduction in Force." Because local Oregon school districts have statutory and constitutional authority to reduce force and lay off staff, they need to develop plans for such actions when procedures are not included in their collective bargaining agreements or when supplements to those agreements are needed. When planning for a necessary change in staff...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, Employment Patterns, Job Layoff, Long Range Planning,...
This research, which defines teacher incompetence as an administrative problem with serious consequences, concentrates on one solution: cleansing the profession by dismissing incompetent teachers. Specifically, the study aimed to obtain information about the practices Arizona school districts use to identify and handle incompetent teachers. Data were collected from 34 out of 45 personnel directors or superintendents belonging to the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association. A large...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrative Problems, Administrator Responsibility, Educational Practices,...
This document presents the Ohio Education Association's teacher evaluation policy and procedures. The first section sets forth the policy on teacher education and discusses the responsibilities of the profession as state or local level responsibilities. The second section points out limiting factors that often influence teacher evaluation. The third section suggests guidelines for local association action. The fourth section, an excerpt from THE LAW AND PRACTICE OF TEACHER NEGOTIATIONS by...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Responsibility, Evaluation Criteria, Evaluation Methods, Evaluation...
The primary purposes of this paper are to describe the basic tenure system in higher education, to identify the sources of dissatisfaction with this system, and to make some recommendations about an Association for Communication Administrators (ACA) position on the subject of tenure policy and procedures. Four basic elements of the tenure system are outlined and discussed. The criticism of the tenure system is widespread and comes down to two basic arguments. First, the system interferes with...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Freedom, Administrative Policy, Communication (Thought Transfer),...
The status of litigation involving dismissals of tenured faculty for reasons of incompetence, broadly defined, is evaluated. In practice, there is no consensus within higher education as to what constitutes adequate cause based on incompetence for dismissal of faculty members. The following issues are explored: (1) the pattern of increasing litigation; (2) patterns of litigation by institutional type; (3) forums for disputing these litigations; (4) prevailing parties to the dispute; (5)...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Faculty, Court Litigation, Faculty Evaluation, Higher Education, Personnel...
Dismissing incompetent tenured teachers is a difficult and time-consuming task. Contrary to popular opinion, however, that task is not impossible. Effective dismissal of incompetent teachers requires thorough, valid, and well-documented evaluation procedures, appropriate remediation efforts, and a fair hearing prior to dismissal. (TE)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrator Responsibility, Due Process, Elementary Secondary Education, Teacher...
This paper presents the results of a survey of 192 public school superintendents in Missouri on the topic of teacher tenure. Overall, superintendents indicated the current teacher tenure laws are somewhat onerous, with 73 percent indicating it was "somewhat" or "very difficult" to remove a tenured teacher for their performance in the classroom. Superintendents noted time and paperwork are the biggest obstacles to removing a tenured teacher. Approximately, 92 percent of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Superintendents, Administrator Surveys, Tenure, Public School Teachers, School Law,...
Academic freedom, at institutions of higher education, is discussed in terms of questions raised about the ability of an institution to dismiss an instructor. In the first case, "Martin v. Parrish," the instructor was dismissed for using profanity in the class. The second case, "Carley v. Arizona Board of Regents," centered on the importance of student evaluations in the ultimate dismissal of an instructor. The questions discussed are based upon the premise that teaching is...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Freedom, College Environment, Higher Education, Intellectual Freedom,...
Litigation arising out of the dismissal or nonrenewal of faculty personnel is reviewed briefly. The cases noted concern the official immunity doctrine in relation to college administrators and their personal liability, as well as the administrator's responsibility for the acts of those under his direction. (DB)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrator Responsibility, College Administration, Court Litigation, Higher...
This study focuses on the tension between community norms/values and teacher behavior in Canada. A series of instances where teachers in public or denominational schools are accused of misconduct are presented, and these instances are traced from their beginnings to their ends (that is, to the resolution or acceptance of the social conflict). Part I discusses the research approach, the social relevance of the project, and the methods and procedures. Part II describes the instances of misconduct...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Attitudes, Community Characteristics, Community Influence, Community...
This publication is the complete transcript of a weekly radio program devoted to contemporary issues in American education. This particular program focuses on the topic of homosexual teachers. Throughout the program, a number of educators and authorities on homosexuality present their views on various legal, political, moral, and educational issues involving gay teachers. Included are remarks by a number of anonymous gay teachers, as well as by the following individuals: Dr. Herbert Hendin,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Constitutional Law, Elementary Secondary Education, Homosexuality, School Law,...
The Michigan State Teacher Tenure Act is discussed, based on decisions of the Michigan Supreme and Appeals courts, and the opinions of the Attorney General. Designed to promote uniform interpretation of tenure legislation, topics deal with objectives, advantages, and disadvantages; probationary service; tenure rights; dismissal of tenured teachers; alternative legal protections; and miscellaneous provisions of the Michigan law. The complete text of the law, definitions, State Tenure Commission...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Beginning Teachers, Courts, Due Process, Elementary Secondary Education, Probationary...
In the winter of 2006-2007, The New Teacher Project (TNTP) engaged in an extensive review of teacher staffing policies and practices in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). TNTP investigated the impact of CPS staffing rules through several avenues: (1) Review of CPS Teachers contract; (2) Analysis of Human Resources transaction data; (3) Surveys of principals, current teachers, and teacher applicants; and (4) Interviews with principals and central staff. Feedback from principals, teachers, and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Urban Schools, Public Schools, Public School Teachers, Teacher Selection, Teacher...
A survey of win-loss records and length of coaching tenure for thirty Chicago public high schools reveals no relationship between tenure length and team effectiveness. The overall winning percentage of a team does not seem to be the determining criterion of coaching effectiveness at the high school level, and personnel changes are probably the result of factors other than poor winning records. Analysis of coaching change and team effectiveness support the Eitzen and Yetman analysis that a poor...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Athletic Coaches, Athletics, Evaluation Criteria, Faculty Mobility, Physical...
In an attempt to increase the effectiveness of instruction in California's public schools, educators, policymakers, and researchers are looking for ways to boost the quality of teacher evaluations. This report explains the complex relationship between state policy on teacher evaluation and local practice. It also describes prevailing criticisms of teacher evaluation systems and efforts to address those shortcomings. Along the way, the report covers related topics such as tenure, dismissal...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Evaluation, Instructional Effectiveness, Public Schools, Tenure, Teacher...
This document describes the legal requirements for certificate suspension and revocation of North Carolina public-school teachers. Associated with its ability to administer teacher certification in the state, the State Board of Education also has the authority to suspend or revoke certificates. A question-and-answer section addresses issues of concern to school officials involved in the process. The appendix contains state laws relating to certificate suspension and revocation, specifically:...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Board of Education Role, Elementary Secondary Education, Personnel Policy, State...
In the 2008-2009 school year, The New Teacher Project (TNTP) partnered with Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) to assess the effectiveness of current teacher performance management policies and practices. DPS and the DCTA have been national leaders in their willingness to examine the difficult issues surrounding teacher performance management and to explore creative alternatives to the status quo. TNTP's analysis reveals that DPS' current...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Urban Schools, Public Schools, Public School Teachers, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher...
Two of the essential ingredients of institutional quality are the recruitment of quality staff and the systematic evaluation of all staff. To be effective, evaluation must be supported by the governing board, must be conducted by competent administrators with histories as superior teachers, and must be based on clearly defined personnel policies and procedures. Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC) offers an example of an effective evaluation system, which since implemented at the college...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrator Role, College Faculty, Community Colleges, Evaluation Methods, Faculty...
This contract between the faculty association of Jamestown Community College and the Board of Trustees of Jamestown Community College covers the academic year 1973-1974. Articles of the agreement cover recognition, association and instructors' rights, rights of the Board, deductions and professional dues, conditions of employment, appointment and tenure policies, statement on procedural standards in faculty dismissal, grievance procedures, academic organization, working conditions of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Collective Bargaining, Community Colleges, Contracts, Governance, Grievance...
This monograph is intended to aid school board members and school administrators in understanding the legal requirements and implications of teacher dismissal and nonrenewal proceedings. The first section examines the legal requirements governing teacher dismissal and nonrenewal in a variety of circumstances, focusing in turn on dismissal during the term of a contract, contract nonrenewal in the first year of employment, nonrenewal in the second or third year of employment, and nonrenewal after...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Board of Education Policy, Contracts, Court Litigation, Due Process, Elementary...
In the absence of a statutory provision to the contrary, the power to employ teachers and other school officials presupposes the power of dismissal. Proceedings for the dismissal of a teacher are frequently regulated by statute. As a result, the proceedings depend on the wording of the particular statute in force. This paper discusses the status of legislation on teacher dismissal for incompetence according to (1) Mississippi statutory law, (2) statutory law in five other States, (3) major...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Boards of Education, Contracts, Court Litigation, Definitions, Models, State...
A rationale and series of steps are provided for use by local school districts in Iowa in developing a teacher evaluation program. The four basic questions to be asked by teacher evaluation program planners are: (1) What shall be our criteria of desired teacher performance? (2) How high shall our standards be? (3) How do we want to measure and report the attainment of our criteria and standards? and (4) How shall we help teachers improve after the initial evaluation? Practical answers including...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Collective Bargaining, Educational Research, Evaluation Criteria, School Districts,...
This paper addresses the legal tension between a teacher's right to privacy and a school board's right to demand exemplary conduct by teachers in and out of school. The watershed case in the area of a teacher's right to a private life appears to be "Morrison v. Board of Education" (California 1969), which identified factors that a board may consider when determining whether a teacher's conduct indicates unfitness to teach. Authority for the proposition that teachers serve as role...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Behavior Standards, Court Litigation, Elementary Secondary Education, Legal Problems,...
Statement of policies of Sweet Briar College, a liberal arts college for women, constitutes the main portion of its faculty handbook: academic freedom, appointment and reappointment, qualifications for appointment, promotion and tenure, termination or dismissal, leave policies, and benefits. A brief historical sketch, administrative organizational chart, and a list of general services and activities are also included. (JT)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrative Policy, College Faculty, Faculty Handbooks, Faculty Promotion, Fringe...
In 1971 the North Carolina General Assembly enacted a tenure law for the State's public school teachers and principals. Codified as G.S. 115-142, the Act became effective July 1, 1972. It requires local boards of education to adopt "reasonable rules and regulations" for the conduct of hearings on dismissing or demoting teachers and principals. This booklet contains five procedural codes to be usedas guides for boards of education as they develop their own hearing regulations. These...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Board of Education Policy, Contracts, Due Process, Guidelines, Principals, State...
This presentation describes the rationale and major steps in the development of the Teacher's Test of Language Skills (TTLS) to be administered to selected certificated teachers in the Charleston County School District, South Carolina. The paper recounts the factors underlying the establishment of the School Board's policy, then traces the major events in the development of the TTLS from a dual perspective--that of the school district and that of the test developer, IOX Assessment Associates....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Board of Education Policy, Elementary Secondary Education, Political Issues, Reading...
Featuring the same practical guidelines for ridding schools of incompetent teachers as the 1984 edition, this new edition incorporates substantially revised material on three topics: criteria and information sources for evaluating teaching effectiveness, remediation procedures, and grounds for dismissal. The book presents an eight-step systematic, organizational approach to resolving several interrelated problems: (1) the legal barriers to dismissing tenured teachers for classroom incompetence;...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Accountability, Administrator Responsibility, Due Process, Elementary Secondary...
This legal memorandum provides an overview of the growing body of legislation and litigation concerning reduction in force (RIF). The focus of the article is the suspension or dismissal of teachers for reasons unrelated to their competence or behavior. Cases concerning other professional personnel such as principals, or other staffing strategies such as demotion, are included only as they relate to this primary focus. State statutes constitute the primary source of law relating to RIF. A...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Court Litigation, Elementary Secondary Education, Employer Employee Relationship,...
The task of teacher personnel policies should be to get good teaching done with justice and economy. The current state of teacher personnel policies is that they are reasonably fair to teachers and extremely unfair to students, parents, and taxpayers. They protect all teachers, but they excessively protect the incompetent teacher. A system of strict performance evaluation must be developed that replaces the system of teacher evaluation based on classroom observations by an administrator. Such a...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Methods, Personnel Policy, School...
From a legal perspective, teacher evaluations can be a school's most valuable tool when administrators need to pursue or defend personnel actions. The first step in a practical evaluation process is to determine the evaluation's purpose, and the second is to determine what is to be evaluated. Evaluations should focus on factors that actually affect teaching competence and that can be evaluated without denying constitutional rights. The third step is to select suitable evaluation methods....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrator Role, Check Lists, Constitutional Law, Courts, Elementary Secondary...
This study examined the effect of IMPACT on teacher retention and performance. IMPACT is a high-stakes teacher evaluation system used in the District of Columbia public schools that gives teachers scores reflecting their performance in the classroom and the achievement of their students. Based on these scores, teachers were assigned to one of four groups: Highly Effective, Effective, Minimally Effective, and Ineffective. Highly Effective teachers received sizeable increases in compensation,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Evaluation, Public Schools, Public School Teachers, Teacher Effectiveness,...
This book addresses the law-related concerns of school teachers. Much of the data on which the book is based was collected during a four year study, conducted by the American Bar Association with the support of the Ford Foundation. Court cases are cited. Chapter one examines "Tenure." Since tenure gives teachers the right to their jobs, tenured teachers cannot be dismissed without due process of law or without cause. They are entitled to notice of charges and a fair hearing, with the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Freedom, Discipline, Educational Legislation, Elementary Secondary...
