He’s in the union. That’s why! It makes sense that teacher Aryeh Eller collected nearly $1 million for doing almost nothing over 13 years, his brother said. “What do you expect? He’s union,” Ayton Eller said yesterday. “That’s how much teachers get paid.” His brother, Aryeh, 46, taught music at Hillcrest HS in Queens until he was yanked from the classroom in 1999 — and confessed to repeated sexual harassment of female students, according to an investigative report... It’s the city’s fault that his brother is still getting paid at a salary of $85,000 — and is the longest-sitting “rubber-room” teacher in the city, Ayton said... Aryeh obtained tenure when the Board of Education didn’t investigate the first complaints against him. Go To Site

“Everybody believes that teacher quality is very, very important,” says Eric A. Hanushek, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford and longtime researcher of education policy. “What this paper and other work has shown is that it’s probably more important than people think. That the variations or differences between really good and really bad teachers have lifelong impacts on children.” Go To Site

On Thursday, Supt. Ramon C. Cortines announced that change was coming. After hearing The Times' findings more than a week ago, the superintendent pledged to scrutinize probationary teachers more closely so poor instructors are ousted before they become tenured. "Too many ineffective teachers are falling into tenured positions -- the equivalent of jobs for life," he said. Go To Site

Teachers agree: Bad teachers with tenure too tough to fire - USATODAY.com

Union, Incompetence, Education

WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 non-partisan think tank.

Altair Maine | Bar set low for lifetime job in L.A. schools - Los Angeles Times

Incompetence, Education

After hearing The Times' findings more than a week ago, the superintendent pledged to scrutinize probationary teachers more closely so poor instructors are ousted before they become tenured. "Too many ineffective teachers are falling into tenured positions -- the equivalent of jobs for life," he said. An easy path to tenure is not unique to Los Angeles. Schools across the country have failed to grade teachers, even their rookies, and rarely dismiss poor performers.

NYC: Just about impossible to fire a bad teacher

In New York City, it's "just about impossible" to fire a bad teacher, says schools chancellor Joel Klein. The new union contract offers slight relief, but it's still about 200 pages of bureaucracy. "We tolerate mediocrity," said Klein, because "people get paid the same, whether they're outstanding, average, or way below average." One teacher sent sexually oriented emails to "Cutie 101," his sixteen year old student. Klein couldn't fire him for years, "He hasn't taught, but we have had to pay him, because that's what's required under the contract."

Why Bad Teachers Survive

Union, Incompetence, Education

How hard is it to fire an ineffective teacher who has tenure?

When did it get to be so hard to fire a teacher? - By Brian Palmer - Slate Magazine

Union, Incompetence, Education

No one from the Obama administration is scheduled to speak at the conventions of the two largest teachers' unions this summer. Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have angered the unions by pushing to make it easier for school districts to fire ineffective teachers. When did it get so hard to fire a teacher?