July 25, 2007 - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke to the National Urban League in St. Louis about education reform. He spoke at a private luncheon. For two days they will hear from several presidential candidates at the four-day national conference.
The text of his speech can be found on his website.
He spoke about reform in NYC schools and the abolition of the Board of Education. And about tenure, the taboo topic in politics.
Focusing on how well students are actually learning will also allow us to take two other critical steps: reforming the tenure process, which right now is almost automatic. And reforming the process by which teachers can be fired, which right now is almost impossible.RETENTION AND PERFORMANCE
When a teacher is up for tenure, too often the questions are: Did he come to work every day? Did he cover the curriculum? Do people like him? But the one question that really matters isn’t asked: Are his students learning as much as they should? Most times, the answer is ‘yes.’ But if the answer is no, that teacher should not receive tenure.
And when a tenured teacher’s students are not learning, principals, after a reasonable appeals process, should have the authority to let that teacher go. Right now, that appeals process is anything but reasonable. It’s a nightmare. That’s why many principals don’t even bother with it – and once again, it’s our children who suffer.
In New York City, we’ve begun taking the first steps toward tenure reform by requiring principals to evaluate each tenure-track teacher, so that tenure is earned by those who deserve it, and not granted as a right to those who don’t. But to inject some sanity into the process of firing bad teachers. And to pay bonuses to highly effective teachers, we need buy-in from the unions. That hasn’t been easy in New York – or anywhere else. And I’ll be honest: I’m not sure we’re going to get there without support from the federal government.
Many of you in this room work or have worked in the private sector. You know how to attract and retain the best people. Make them feel respected. And get the most out of them. You pay them more. You give them incentives to take on the toughest challenges and succeed. And you hold them accountable for results. And those who don’t perform up to standard – you let go. That’s Management 101, and it’s the way we treat all professionals – except in our schools.TT - Under his school "reforms," NYC teacher salaries have increased 43%, and senior teachers in the New York City school system will make more than $100,000. That's good for retention, provided the teacher provides value for the money and with the ability to "let go" of the non-performing teacher. Something they can't do under tenure. So what is the point of paying all teachers 43% more? Tenure is locked in the Legislature.
In most school systems, teachers experience low pay, lockstep pay scales, no recognition of talent, no incentives for success and no accountability for failure. This kind of employment system didn’t work in the Soviet Union, and it’s time for us to recognize that it’s not working in our schools.
There's something ironic about speaking about education reform in a city that has just had their schools taken over by the state for colossal mismanagement and corruption.
See Bloomberg's, ah, reforms. TT entry
