The focus on using the courts to abolish tenure is a distraction from the important work of improving teacher quality. Unfortunately, the recent decision of Vergara v. California has only perpetuated the mistaken notion that only after tenure is abolished can underperforming teachers be removed. But the authors contend that administrators,…

Just a few years ago, tenure appeared low on the reform list for state policy makers and district administrators, viewed as too hot an issue politically to challenge. But it was front and center in the 2014 landmark "Vergara v. California" lawsuit, which challenged teacher tenure and related policies. Yet whether to grant tenure or not…

A well-designed professional development program can help first- and second-year faculty thrive in their new academic environment. Faculty developers must consider the length and frequency of such programs and their focus; requirements for participation; the role of mentors; ways to establish collegiality; and opportunities for developing the…

Fueled in part by the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top program, a massive effort to overhaul teacher evaluation is underway in states and districts across the country. The aim is to ensure that evaluations provide a better indication of "teaching effectiveness," or the extent to which teachers can and do contribute to…

As part of an effort to promote teaching excellence, a faculty committee studied the evaluation of teaching at the University of Arizona and developed recommendations for further improvement and support of teaching and of the evaluation of instruction. The following topics are discussed: (1) judging the reputation of a major scholarly institution;…

The successful Career Redirection Program of Regis College is described and placed in the context of a multiple-option faculty development program, with its accompanying theoretical rationale. (Author/MLW)

This paper outlines how shared decision making among teacher education faculty, PK-12 educators, and mathematics and science faculty lead to the preparation of quality educators within Wright State University's (WSU) "Partners Transforming Education: School-University-Community" program. This program was designed to simultaneously renew…

This paper presents a model for shared decision making among Wright State University's (WSU's) teacher education faculty, PreK-12 educators, and science and mathematics faculty in preparing quality teachers. The model involves over 430 representatives from PreK-12 schools, businesses, human service agencies, WSU, and the military who provide input…