The Importance of the Teacher Research confirms that the effectiveness of the teacher, more than any other factor, determines whether students receive a quality education or are relegated to classrooms where the prospects for a successful future often die. Unsatisfactory Performance finds that, contrary to prevailing beliefs, what most ails the teaching profession are not general shortages of qualified candidates, nor low salaries. The real problem is that excellent teachers are not rewarded for their superior work, and failing teachers are rarely held accountable for their poor performance. Shortages and Standards Teachers deserve the same performance-driven compensation system that exists in other professions.
Good teachers have nothing to fear from results-based school reform.
Also, under the current system crucial staffing decisions, like teacher assignment, evaluation, and dismissal, are taken out of principals hands and codified in state law or collective bargaining agreements. If the quality of the teacher force is to improve, teachers must be held accountable for their performance and schools must be allowed to manage their own affairs. This is especially true in California, where the state s schools are highly regulated on the district and state levels, but students continue to score in the bottom ranks of national tests. Despite massive regulation, California schools suffer from a gaping accountability lapse. Teacher pay is not tied to performance, and salaries are the same for all teachers good and bad alike.