Teachers and school administrators whose students do not demonstrate reasonable achievement and skill do not deserve job security, salary increases and lifelong job protection. Another area of school reform that merits attention has to do with teachers and their degree of involvement and responsibility for teaching and learning. Good teachers should be empowered to observe, evaluate and assist their own colleagues to become better, more successful and skilled teachers. Teachers and their union should join hands with school boards to develop programs to identify and assist unsuccessful teachers and to discipline those who reflect poorly on their profession. And failing their best effort, good teachers and their union should help school boards get rid of poor and incompetent teachers.
School boards can stand reform in their own procedures and governance.
Board members need to hone their skills in such areas as accountability and test results, teacher performance, district budgets, collective bargaining, community relations, and shared decision making and governance. And while many boards view their primary role as public cheerleaders for their district and staff, they have a responsibility to study issues, ask questions and make enlightened decisions. School boards face many challenges, demands, and decisions that call for inclusion, courage and personal sacrifice. The most effective boards are those that reach out, listen and welcome all segments of the community to the their table. There are those who believe that public education has received too much attention and too many reforms recently.