Over the summer I spent some time reading articles and books in my subject areas, which are history and education. One article in Time magazine caught my attention. The article by Amanda Ripley is about Rhode Island's commissioner of schools. The article stated that "Gist...announced that staffing decisions would be based on teacher qualifications, not seniority." She is also working on a new evaluation system "in which teachers get annual reviews." Adding to that, she raised the test-score requirements to the highest in the nation for entrance into teacher-training programs. She also supported the firing of every single teacher at one of the states worst schools. Is she doing the right thing? Even though I don't like the idea of firing every teacher from a school, I think it is important to remember that it is not about the teachers, but the students.
One of her ideas that I love, is the idea of making staffing decisions based on qualifications, NOT seniority. The students would benefit greatly from this. I remember losing some great teachers at our school when cuts were made just because they were the youngest, or newest teachers. We were losing the most qualified teachers and it was making our education program weaker. I do not think that teachers should be safe from getting fired just because they have been at the school for more years than others. Teachers should be safe from getting fired because they are great teachers.
I also like her idea of raising test-score requirements to get into the education program. We should only accept those who work the hardest. On the other hand, we need to make sure that they are great teachers. Just because somebody gets a good score on a test or is the brightest student in a class doesn't mean they will be a great teacher.
For the full article on Deborah Gist, use the following link:
Deborah Gist - The 2010 TIME 100 - TIME
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