Page 95 - EdViewptsSpring2019-web

and evaluation, as well as the dismissal than teachers in North Carolina. This
of substandard faculty, very challeng- The challenge is to find pattern aligned with the results from
ing. The addition of value-added data common ground where New Jersey, despite many teachers in
to the evaluation system in some states teachers’ unions and North Carolina working under fixed-
improved faculty accountability and interval contracts of one to four school
produced some standardization, but the school community years rather than being awarded
many factors impact student achieve- can work together to tenure after a probationary period as
ment. It is difficult to target precisely the teachers in New Jersey.
role tenure plays in this process, but create an environment Further analysis of survey responses
it is a topic which would benefit from that supports teachers regarding educational quality demon-
further investigation. and ensures students strated that more New Jersey teachers
High-quality teaching has been proven are enrolled in a class- than administrators agree tenure con-
to impact student achievement (Ed- tinues to inhibit teacher dismissal. This
ward, 2014, Franzen, 2012a & Public room with an effective data may suggest the tenure reforms
Impact, 2011), and denying a student instructor. in New Jersey have not impacted the
access to quality instruction can be an dismissal rate of substandard teach-
infringement on his or her rights. Since between the position teachers and ers in a noteworthy way. In addition,
poor and minority students are more administrators have in regards to ten- survey data revealed the majority of
likely to receive a lesser quality of in- ure reforms in New Jersey and North administrators and teachers in both
struction (Edward, 2014) the achieve- Carolina using independent sample states either disagree or have no basis
ment gap will continue to widen. With- t-tests. It specifically investigated for judgment as to whether tenure
out determining the impact tenure has whether the systems in place have fundamentally protects a teacher’s
in the classroom, it is impossible to been of perceived benefit to teachers academic freedom. This is an interest-
determine if we are providing students and students and what impact tenure ing outcome as academic freedom is
with the best education possible. reforms appeared to have on educa- one of the foundational purposes of
To improve education in public-school tional quality. tenure and may be an indication that
systems, New Jersey and North Caro- A modified Teacher Tenure Survey was the needs tenure was created to fill
lina have both implemented reforms. completed by a total of 129 participants have begun to change.
New Jersey took a more traditional identified as administrators and 66 In regards to tenure’s benefit to stu-
approach to reform with a four-year identified as teaching staff members dents, administrators in New Jersey
probationary period, mandated men- within New Jersey school districts. The and North Carolina were found to
toring program, more standardized survey was also completed by 125 ad- perceive tenure reform differently. A
evaluation systems, and value-added ministrators and 184 teachers in North significant difference existed between
data used in evaluations. North Caro- Carolina. The survey was open for two the means of New Jersey administra-
lina chose a very different approach. weeks for data collection. tors (M = 2.96) and North Carolina
This state attempted to eliminate administrators (M = 2.52) among the
career status for their teaching staff The results demonstrated statistical current sample (t [252] = 3.169, p < .01).
completely and succeeded in eliminat- differences between teachers and It can be concluded that New Jersey
ing the possibility of career status for administrators as well as differences administrators consider current tenure
new hires after the law took effect in of perceptions between states. Teach- practices to affect students more nega-
2013. North Carolina teachers hired ers and administrators in both states tively than their North Carolina counter-
after August 1, 2013 work under fixed- regarded tenure reform’s impact on parts. Despite the difference between
interval contracts. educational quality differently, with the perceptions of administrators, a
administrators perceiving tenure after discrepancy was not found between the
Current Tenure Perceptions its reform to have a more negative perceptions of New Jersey and North
impact than teachers. The results from
It is important to remember when the calculations displayed a signifi- Carolina teachers. Teachers in these
evaluating these reforms that no cant difference between the means states do not perceive tenure after its
tenure process will be universally sup- of New Jersey administrators (M = last reform to have a negative impact
ported, and there are differing views of 3.24) and teachers (M = 2.94) among on students.
each. The challenge is to find com- the current sample (t [193] = 2.13, p < Looking Forward
mon ground where teachers’ unions .05). The results from the calculations
and the school community can work also displayed a significant difference This study measured perceptions of
together to create an environment that between the means of North Carolina tenure reform in only two states. The
supports teachers and ensures stu- administrators (M = 2.94) and teachers specific states of New Jersey and
dents are enrolled in a classroom with (M = 2.61) among the current sample North Carolina were chosen because
an effective instructor. (t [307] = 3.23, p < .01). Administra- of the distinct differences in their
A causal-comparative study was tors in North Carolina perceived tenure approaches to tenure reform. Under-
conducted in an attempt to determine after its last reform to have a more standing the perceptions of teachers
if there were significant differences negative impact on educational quality and administrators regarding tenure

Educational Viewpoints -93- Spring 2019