Motoko Rich. NYTimes.
Studies have shown that
on average, teacher turnover diminishes student achievement. Advocates who
argue that teaching should become more like medicine or law say that while
programs like Teach for America fill a need in the short term, educational
leaders should be focused on improving training and working environments so
that teachers will invest in long careers.
“To become a master plumber you have to work for
five years,” said Ronald Thorpe, president of the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, a nonprofit group
that certifies accomplished teachers. “Shouldn’t we have some kind of analog to
that with the people we are entrusting our children to?”
Teachers’ unions and others in the traditional
education establishment argue that charter schools are driving teachers away
with longer hours and school years, as well as higher workplace demands. (At
YES Prep, for example, all teachers are assigned a cellphone to answer any
student call for homework assistance until 9 p.m.)
