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Stephanie Strong Meagan Keaton English 112 28 March 2013 Annotated Bibliography "Tenure: Pros and Cons | The Talon." The Talon. N.p., 2 May 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://www.lahstalon.org/news/tenure-pros-and-cons/>. This article gives a pretty in depth explanation of exactly what tenure is. It describes tenure as giving teachers more freedom in the classroom and job security. Some teachers use tenure to their advantage while others abuse the privilege. The article lays out some of the pros and cons of the argument of offering teachers job security in the form of tenure. The author of this article professes that teaching is a very visible job. Teaching effectiveness is directly measured by student outcome. Test scores, passing grades and final grades are a direct reflection of a teachers ability to inflict knowledge on students unless a teacher has been granted tenure. In this instance, student success is not relevant to job status Tenure also allows teachers to implement original topics of discussion in the classroom that are outside of the standard curriculum. This allows for expansion and diversity of knowledge obtained by the students. The author of this article does not seem to be arguing for one side or the other but rather clarifying both sides of the argument. The objectives of tenure are made clear, concise and easy to understand. Interviews were even provided to help readers gain knowledge on tenure from a teachers perspective. It shows which aspects of tenure individual teachers find gratifying which in turn, sheds some light on the argument of individual teacher integrity and workmanship. The article seems to argue the idea of tenure in a general way and leaves the argument and its usefulness and effectiveness to individualism. The article seems to point more to the idea of

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love of the job rather than the rights and wrongs of the procedures inherited by teachers granted tenure. Although there is no swaying opinion in this article, there are a lot of effective supporting ideas made for each side of the argument of whether or not teachers should be granted tenure after an allotted amount of time is served teaching. I plan to use the idea that tenure allows for more free teaching in the classroom to support tenure in schools. I really like that teachers are able to shy away from textbook material. It makes the classroom more interesting and with teacher effectiveness it can raise students interests and curiosity by finding ways to make curriculum more relatable to the students. The idea of teacher integrity is a huge argument for both sides which I also plan to implement in my papers. I think incentive in also a main focus. Tenure is good incentive for teachers looking to obtain more benefits from their job but it also works against the educational system in that once tenure is achieved there is nothing more to work towards. The protection of teachers is important, but the protection of students is an equally critical yet often neglected point due to the difficulty of tenure revocation. (The Talon) Tenure is a double edged sword. (The Talon) If youre a really good person, then yes, youre going to keep doing a good job, math teacher Michael Richardson said. But if you dont care and all of a sudden you have a job you cant lose, it removes external motivation. (The Talon)

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Stephey, M.J. "A Brief History of Tenure - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Time Magazine, 17 Nov. 2008. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. <http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1859505,00.html>. This article from the very beginning this article lets you know that they are taking the opposing side of tenure. In the very first paragraph M.J Stephey, who is a writer for Time Magazine, argues the idea that teachers that have been granted tenure are making an incredulous amount of money. Another point of interest where finances are concerned is the cost of firing inadequate teachers. The process is so timely and so expensive it is almost in the best interest of the school to deal with the bad apples. They do this by passing around the inadequate teachers from school to school which has become known as the dance of lemons. Even simple punishment for unethical acts by teachers has been made a difficult process. The history of tenure is presented by Stephey and states that its main purpose when created was to protect against unfair firings of female teachers who got pregnant or married. Teacher unions have effectively changed the policies of tenure in substantial ways. In the final paragraph the author briefly sheds light on the idea that tenure as a whole may not be such a bad thing but changes do need to be made. The idea that teachers are making too much after granted tenure could be thought of in more ways than one. Well deserving, good intended teachers that are out putting quality teaching skills may earn their salary while teachers that are taking advantages of their privileges may not. The dance of lemons among these unsuccessful teachers is proof that there needs to be change implemented. If a teacher is not producing results at one school transferring them to another is not going to change anything. These teachers negatively impacting students make equal education for all as presented in the NCLB Act a mere hypocrisy. It may be it is possible that

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there needs to be ongoing, continuous and consistent incentives offered to teachers rather than the all or nothing standpoint. The idea that tenure once protected peoples rights and prevented bias, sexism and racism and now protects sloppy, unmotivated and indignant teachers completely discredits tenure all together. This article was very useful in gaining a better knowledge of how difficult it is to fire a teacher with tenure despite their teaching abilities. I plan to use this in the argument that tenure should be done away with or at least revised. Universities are expensive. When professors have higher salaries everything else goes up as well. Students may be paying for an education that they are not adequately receiving. The main pro I found in this article was the idea of change. Some schools have already embraced and adopted the idea of applying change. I plan to express the usefulness of tenure projected through this article while using the downfalls to exaggerate the need for change in my paper. Abolishing tenure doesn't address problems of underfunding, overcrowding or improving students' home environments. (Stephey) The Teach for America alumna, who oversees some 50,000 students and 5,000 teachers, has sparked controversy in the capital by proposing a new contract allowing teachers to earn as much as $130,000 a year if they forgo their tenure rights (a teacher's salary, on average, is less than $48,000; most start out making $32,000). (Stephey) Each state has its own stories: A Connecticut teacher received a mere 30-day suspension for helping students cheat on a standardized test; one California school board spent $8,000 to fire an instructor who preferred using R-rated movies instead of books; a Florida teacher remained in

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the classroom for a year despite incidents in which she threw books at her students and demanded they referred to her as "Ms. God." (Stephey) Wolpert-Gowron, Heather. "The Truth About Teacher Tenure | Edutopia." Edutopia | K-12 Education & Learning Innovations with Proven Strategies that Work. Edeutopia, 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. <http://www.edutopia.org/teacher-tenure-debate>. The author, who is also a teacher, of this article seems to be all for the idea of tenure. She clearly states that she believes in the use of tenure but feels there needs to be some obliged changes. This article emphasis that tenure should be similar to a mission impossible and offered only to teachers who have proven themselves worthy. Professors that have dedicated decades to teaching and have proven that their ultimate goal in life is to be a great teacher have earned and proven themselves worthy of radical idea job guarantee. Tenure allows for new ideas and new ways of thinking in the classroom for the quality teachers that diligently attend to the best interests of their students. It makes room from working criticism substantial for educational improvement. Gowron emphasizes that mediocrity will doom our schools and youth if tenure continues to be so easily obtained. In this article tenure is defined as an award. It should be meant to be achieved and obtained through diligence and hard work shown over time. Its meant to recognize our greatest educators and show appreciation for those that are upholding the top notch standards in the educational system. It communicates that it is an insult to those that dedicate their lives to teaching children to hold such low standards for the attainment of tenure. Tenure should be the Nobel Peace Prize of education. Job guarantee is hardly presented in any line of work. One could be the CEO of a company one day and lose it all the next. How are teachers that are not

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committed to offering the best they can to students offered such a lovely incentive after minimal efforts on their behalf? I found this article to be a stunning, convincing and noble piece of work. I plan to use the ideas presented to convince my audience that changes do need to be made to tenure. I will use the authors viewpoints to distinguish just how much of an acknowledgment to a professors contribution to academics tenure should portray. I like the resilience the article gave the gesture of receiving tenure. This gives my paper supporting evidence to the idea of incentive in a healthy way. It gives a concise meaning to the word incentive. What this system can amount to is that once teachers have achieved tenure, there's no carrot in front of them to encourage self-improvement save for their own intrinsic motivation. (WolpertGowron) The bottom line is this: Tenure should be a precious thing. (Wolpert-Gowron) I'm grateful to tenure for protecting a very dedicated and self-sacrificing group of professionals. (Wolpert-Gowron)

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Parker, Suzi. "Pros and Cons of Teacher Tenure: What You Didn't Know." News & Lifestyle Coverage on Important Topics Like Food, Environment, Social Justice, Animal Rights, Education & Health | TakePart . N.p., 9 Nov. 2012. Web. 2 May 2013. <http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/11/09/pros-and-cons-teacher-tenure>. This article was written by Suzi Parker whose main goal or the article seems to be to inform people on the topic of tenure. Her definition of tenure is justifiably similar to the descriptions in the previous sources. Tenure equals job security. In the first two paragraphs Parker seems to talk only of reforms and current changes that are being proposed in multiple states which would make you believe that the entire article is going to be one sided on the ways tenure is ineffective but then goes on to explain that teachers need some form of protection so that they can implement new teaching methods and curriculum in the classroom. Here she shows that she is not solely against tenure. The article gives testimonies from several different teachers which makes it easier to differentiate circumstance. For a closing, Parker gives specific examples of how changes to tenure are being pursued. In this article two sides of tenure are presented and the author uses specific quotes and teacher encounters to prove her facts. Parker sides with teachers in saying that job security needs to be available to deserving educators but also makes it clear that she would like to see some reforms made. Emphasis was placed on the amount of time that it takes to obtain tenure. The short amount of time it takes seems to discredit the idea that hard work is tenure is rewarding. Teachers need to be challenged as much as the students to further their knowledge in education. Tenure needs to be a benefit not only to teachers but also to students. While change should affect everyone the process will also involve participation from everyone.

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I like this article because it uses testimonies from teachers and President Barack Obama to support ideas. This gives the article more stamina and credibility because teachers are the people most affected by tenure and the President has the most power to makes reforms. Parker does not just lay out facts she provides supporting evidence, clear reasoning behind her statements. I plan to use this article in my paper to exaggerate the idea that tenure needs change and does not need to be dissolved completely. I also plan on using the information she gave on the Presidents plan for reform. I like that instead of just stating that tenure needs to be changed Parker provided an example of how change is already being pursued. In all of my other sources I have heard that tenure is not effective the way it is but there has been little to no information about actions that are being taken to do just that. President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have said the country needs teacher reform. (Parker) Duncan explains: This effort will require the entire educational sectorstates, districts, unions, principals, schools of educationto change, and teachers have to lead the change. (Parker) In the study, Aadina Balti, a teacher in the Boston public schools, said that teachers should push themselves like they push students. Thats why I am willing to give up some of my current tenure protections in favor of a new system that empha-sizes performance, Balti said. (Parker)

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Kloberdanz, Kristin. "The Push for Tenure ReformNot Tenure Elimination." News & Lifestyle Coverage on Important Topics Like Food, Environment, Social Justice, Animal Rights, Education & Health | TakePart . N.p., 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 2 May 2013. <http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/11/15/teacher-tenure-reform-not-tenureelimination>. As in my previous sources this article also sides with the idea of tenure reform rather than elimination. This article presents TNTP which stands for The New Teacher Project. This is a program that is fighting for the protection of teachers that are not making poor decisions in the classroom. The program places emphasis on balance within tenure constitutes. Dan Weisburg, the Vice President of TNTP, says that firing of inadequate teachers that sometimes commit serious crimes in the classroom should not be next to impossible. The process to fire a teacher who is well deserving is expensive and timely. Efforts to make changes are being acknowledged and some are being carried out. The Colorado tenure bill has made it more difficult for teachers to be awarded tenure and it is no longer a lifelong guarentee. While changes are being made it is a slow process that may never be completely resolved. This article puts things into perspective. It allows people to acknowledge specific things that need to be addressed and changed and also shows that there are people out there taking action. This article gives readers more of a sense of hope that change can happen rather than making it seem impossible. To see clear examples of new bills being passed makes it real. A lot of my other sources were somewhat disheartening while this one seems to not just focus on negatives but allows room for positives be acknowledged.

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I like that this article mainly focused on how changes are going to be made and already are being made. I also like that there are so many quotes from the Vice President of the program making the changes. I plan to implement this into my paper by stating the specific effort that people are making to support our educational system in the U.S. I want the information I got out of it to make my paper more bright and sunny side up. There have been so many sources that focus on all of the downfalls and the problems but seem to have nothing to say about what active steps can be taken to resolve current issues. A problem is worth speaking if there are people willing to pursue a solution. There must be a balance, Weisberg tells TakePart. There must be some wa y to provide protection against principals or district officials firing a teacher for reasons not related to performance. (Kloberdanz) Weisberg also points to the Colorado tenure bill that was approved in 2010 as a sign of positive tenure reform. In this law, Colorado public teachers have to work harder to receive tenureand tenure is not a lifelong guarantee. (Kloberdanz) Tenure reform is beginning to make a differencebut there is still a lot of work that has to be done to remove the failing teachers from schools across the country. (Kloberdanz)