What is wrong with the education system Research Paper

What is wrong with the education system - Research Paper Example Moreover, the quality and quantity of services provided by teachers can be directly linked to the aspect of teacher tenure and union of education, considering that these aspects focus on the welfare of teachers while overlooking the welfare of students and the education system as a whole. Teacher Tenure The biggest factor in consideration with teacher tenure is the fact that it enhances complacency of teachers being covered by the tenureship policy, since they cease to fear placing their jobs under risks. In consideration to enhancement of complacency among teachers, it becomes certain that quantity and quality of services being offered by these teachers may be compromised. More so, teachers who are seen to openly compromise quality and quantity of work cannot be easily fired, since, compared to regular teachers, it is more expensive and hard to fire tenured teachers. This is due to the fact that there is a lengthy and complex documentation process that seeks to prove that unsatisfac tory and poor performance of the tenure teacher to be fired. Other than proving and documenting the poor performance claims of a tenured teacher, a court of law must critically scrutinize the allegations agree to the claims (Nixon, Packard and Douvanis, 2007, p. 43-45). Administrators often seek to weed out poorly performing teachers in an effort to improve education standards; however, weeding out under performing teachers who are tenured is more costly than retaining them. This aspect of retention leads to accumulation of non-performing teachers and thus consequently affecting the education system as a whole. The education system is in a crisis considering the fact that teachers’ performance is critical to the success of the students and the education system as a whole. The profession of teachers needs to recruit and retain the brightest and best teachers with promotion, security and other benefits being emphasized on merit. Although teachers need security and employment as surance from unjustified lose of job probably from political influences, the systems should not overprotect them to the extent that performance issues are compromised (Philips, 2009, p.3). Retaining the best teachers needs to start from the principals being able to evaluate and fire their teachers with regards to student achievement and performance standards of teachers. Poor performance of teachers needs to be critically dealt with given the fact that many students come from unstable homes and therefore highly in need of well performing teacher in order to boost their quality of education irrespective of their unstable lives. Teachers should be judged based on the teaching services they render and their ability to impact positively on the lives of students in the classrooms they teach. Teacher tenure negatively impacts on the education system although the policy was basically meant to establish fair procedures to protect teachers from political, discriminatory, and personal treatme nt by employers. The policy has however been misused to protect incompetent teachers rather protecting competent teachers to enable high retention of best teachers for fostering high education standards. However, employers can overcome incompetence factor by hiring competent teachers who are qualified with regards to real performance issue. Teacher tenure should only be used to protect teachers from injustice and politics school boards and external powers may use against them and ensure teachers