Education Sector in the News

Read news coverage of our report "Waiting to Be Won Over: Teacher Speak on the Profession, Unions and Reform," and companion release event, "Teacher Voice."

From The Associated Press 5/6/08:

"Teachers weigh in on tenure, evaluations," by Nancy Zuckerbrod

"Think it's hard for schools to get bad teachers out of the classroom? Turns out teachers agree.

More than half of teachers believe it's too difficult to weed out ineffective teachers who have tenure, and nearly half say they personally know such a teacher, according to a survey released Tuesday evening by the Education Sector, a nonpartisan think tank.

Tenure provides teachers with job security and generally is awarded a few years after educators enter the profession. It is supposed to ensure teachers can't be fired at the whim of a principal or angry parent.

But it also can make it extremely difficult to dismiss a teacher who is doing a bad job, said Sabrina Silverstein, a Chicago pre-kindergarten teacher.

'Even in the best schools, you'll find one teacher who probably shouldn't there. It takes a lot for a principal to get rid of a teacher,' Silverstein said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Most teachers think the evaluation process for new teachers should be strengthened, so that weak teachers don't become entrenched. …"

Read the full article from The Associated Press.


From The Washington Post, 5/7/08:

"U.S. Teachers Weigh in on Pay and Reform," by Dion Haynes

"D.C. Wire and The Post have written extensively about the challenges facing teachers through school closures and restructuring as well as turmoil in the Washington Teachers Union. It turns out the issues are not unique to D.C., according to a national study released today.

Education Sector, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, commissioned a survey soliciting the views of 1,010 teachers around the country on such issues as tenure, performance pay and school reform. …

…Reform 'is like a bus—you're either going to be on it [as a passenger] or you're going to be driving it,' Greg Ahrnsbrak, a Denver teacher whose middle school received autonomy from the school system, told a crowd of educators at the Capital Hilton in downtown Washington today.

'I see no policy, as far as reform goes, from my union,' he added. 'We need people out there willing to take risks and do bold and imaginative things.'" …

Read the full article in The Washington Post.


From Education Week 5/8/08:

"Teachers Found to Be of Two Minds on Reforms," by Scott J. Cech

"Most public school teachers are unequivocally ambivalent about unions and education reform, and have become more so over the past five years, according to a nationwide survey released here last week by Education Sector.

"This survey shows that, in theory, teachers are open to reforms, but when it comes to their own jobs they're like, 'Oh, no—stop,' " said Elena Silva, a policy analyst at the Washington-based think tank, during a discussion forum held here to accompany the release. "They're a little all over the place."

The report, "Waiting to Be Won Over: Teachers Speak on the Profession, Unions, and Reform," is based on a survey of about 1,000 randomly selected teachers last fall by the New York City-based Farkas Duffett Research Group. It was a follow-up to a 2003 survey the company conducted for the..."

Read the full article on Education Week. (subscription needed)