For American children to thrive in the 21st century, our system of public education must change from the old factory model to a new paradigm that will prepare students for today's knowledge economy. In a speech this week in Washington, I proposed a way to change this--a new path forward for our public education system, defined by excellence, fairness, shared responsibility and mutual trust. I detailed the American Federation of Teachers' comprehensive new framework for reform, which is designed, as one commentator said, "to replace the conflict-ridden approach of the past decade."
Teachers go to school every day wanting to make a difference in the lives of their students. I know this from my own experience as a high school teacher, from the incredible skill and dedication I have observed in the countless classrooms I have visited, and from AFT members' own stories attesting to their commitment to their students' success. Teachers enter this profession, as one member said, because they want to see the light of discovery in children's eyes.
The path I propose includes new ideas about teacher development and evaluation, as well as a fair and effective approach to due process. It calls for teachers to have the tools, time and trust they need to do their jobs. And it addresses the need to transform the labor-management relationship in public education into one in which teachers, administrators and all members of the wider school community have a shared responsibility and a shared commitment to ensuring all students get a great education.
All of these elements are inextricably connected. Some reports and commentaries about my speech have focused on one element or another of my proposals, missing the point that the key to success for this new approach is that its parts build upon one another and must be implemented together.
First, I have proposed a new template for teacher development and evaluation. With rare exceptions, teacher evaluation procedures are broken--cursory, perfunctory and superficial. Despite their deficiencies, such evaluations often form the basis for many consequential decisions, such as whether a teacher is deemed to be performing satisfactorily, receives tenure, or is dismissed for what is determined to be poor performance. Such an approach does nothing to help promising teachers improve or to help good teachers become great.
This must change. I propose a comprehensive approach to developing great teaching that supports professional growth at every stage of a teacher's career. This approach includes rigorous reviews by trained expert and peer evaluators and principals, based on professional teaching standards, best practices and student achievement. The goal of any evaluation system must be continuous improvement--an opportunity for growth. When the driving force is getting rid of "bad teachers," it doesn't work. When the goal is continuous improvement, evaluation becomes an instrument that informs teaching and learning. The same is true of data that describes student learning. It can be a powerful tool that helps us understand what is working and should be replicated, as well as what isn't working and needs to be abandoned.
So of course, there are roles in a new evaluation system for both teacher practice and student data. But just as the current snapshot form of teacher observation isn't adequate, the same is true for a single standardized test score. When some claimed that, in my speech I advocated using test scores as a primary measure of performance, rather than using multiple measures, they were either purposefully distorting what I said or they simply don't know how to read. What I did do was challenge all districts to work on a new system of teacher development and evaluation that is designed to provide the corps of well-prepared and well-supported teachers our students deserve. Once such a system is in place--and only when it's in place--can we make a valid determination of who is or is not an effective teacher. Only then can we work toward putting in place a new approach to due process.
Just as there is a need for due process in cases of ineffective teaching, there is also a need for due process when accusations of misconduct arise. Teachers--myself included--have no tolerance for people who, through their conduct, demonstrate that they are unfit for our profession. False allegations do happen, and they destroy much more than a teacher's livelihood. So there must be an opportunity to answer charges. However, due process must not disintegrate into glacial process.
The AFT is taking the lead to develop a protocol for fair, transparent and expedient adjudication of teacher misconduct cases and--when called for--teacher removal. I have asked Kenneth Feinberg, a trusted voice of fairness and reason on some of the most consequential issues in our national life, to lead the AFT's effort.
Next, this new path forward calls on principals, administrators and elected officials to ensure that teachers get the tools, time and trust they need to do their jobs. Teachers must have a school environment conducive to learning, adequate supplies, common academic standards, a solid curriculum and parental involvement. Increasingly, teachers are buried under more and more tasks. They spend hours outside the school day grading papers, creating lesson plans, communicating with parents and overseeing school activities. We must provide teachers ample time during the school day to serve their students. They also need a climate of trust if they are to be true partners in reform.
None of this will work without a change in the relationship between labor and management--the teachers and the superintendents, principals and others--which leads me to my fourth proposal for better schools. The AFT has invited leaders representing governors, mayors, school boards and others to work with us to transform our mutual responsibility for public education into a mutual commitment to ensuring student and school success. My proposals call for everyone in the school community to move in common purpose to a new era of collaboration.
Many of those engaged in the debate over education reform understand the importance of what I said this week. Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said after my speech, "We need a seismic shift in the way we think about teachers, treat teachers and partner with teachers. President Weingarten is right: We have to demand excellence in our classrooms, which begins with a teacher evaluation and development system based on multiple measures, including good data, student achievement and stronger support for educators." I believe the new path I have proposed will ensure that America's children will have the great teachers and the great education they deserve.
When I became president of the American Federation of Teachers, I said that anyone who advanced any idea that is good for kids and fair to teachers would find an ally at the AFT. Our proposed new path forward builds on that offer by addressing some of the most difficult issues in public education today. I urge you to follow this effort by visiting www.futurestogether.org, and to contribute your ideas through the link you will find there.
