U.S. NEWS also points out that critics of tenure concede that unions are right to fear capricious firings without some form of tenure. One way to overcome this obstacle is to focus on making teacher evaluations more rigorous and more fair, according to some educators and policymakers. The magazine cites Ky. as an example. Local educators around the state, while embracing higher standards, had complained that the board was moving too far too fast to improve student achievement. We want to make sure kids are prepared to meet those higher standards.
Nobody wants to see mass failure.
That would be greatly demoralizing for everyone. State officials notes that the details of a delay have not been worked out, but the paper reports that probably scores on the new tests would not count until the spring of 1999, and the first students required to pass the 11th-grade exams would be in the class of 2002. Several state board members also are trying to add language to the standards plan that would give local schools the discretion to hire reading teachers in place of guidance counselors, writes the paper. Current law requires that elementary schools have guidance counselors. That's very dangerous ground.