So I believe it's time we match the enormous responsibility of a principal's job with greater accountability. Let's work together to reform principal tenure to create a system that guarantees fairness but expects results. Our children deserve nothing less. In fact, there's something our children deserve more of - more instructional time in their school day. It might surprise you to learn that schools are only required to provide four hours of instructional time each day.
Many kids spend more time than that watching television.
To be fair, most of our schools exceed that minimum requirement on most school days. But as our students prepare for the next century, we should ensure that learning is never just a part-time endeavor. Children today have a lot more to learn than we did in school. I remember asking my daughter once why she hadn't done too well on a history exam. Yes, I have to admit that's true - our kids do have a lot more to learn, especially with our new, rigorous academic standards.