What is tenure? It is a policy which gives teachers a permanent contract ensuring them a guarantee of employment like for life. Tenured teachers cannot be fired unless for just cause such as gross misconduct, or incompetence. Proponents of teacher tenure say that it is good. They argue that tenure prevents teachers from being fired for inappropriate reasons; tenure protects teachers from false accusations; tenure reduces teacher anxiety and allows them to become even better educators; properly used, tenure creates an environment where teachers are encouraged to improve; and lastly tenure protects good but veteran teachers from being fired for being too expensive. Opponents of teacher tenure say that it is bad. They argue that tenured teachers if they are ineffective are often extremely difficult to dismiss; dismissing tenured teachers takes a long time and is often extremely expensive; almost every k-12 teacher receives tenure whether they have earned it or not; and last but not least teacher tenure leads to complacency. The purpose of the book is not to further debate the pros and cons of teacher tenure. Rather it examines the critical elements to better prepare teachers for the tenure application and the tenure decision makers to make better informed evaluation. Teacher Tenure: An Analysis of the Critical Elements begins with an unlikely introduction of a story that uses rhetorical comparison of the shoe experience to connote the wisdom of the teacher tenure process.
About the Author: Ovid Wong is currently an associate science education professor with Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. He has a joint teaching appointment in the College of Science and the School of Education. He received his B.Sc. from the University of Alberta, his M.Ed. from the University of Washington, and his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Illinois. His experience in public education spans over twenty years from the urban classroom to the suburban office of the assistant school superintendent. In1989, Dr. Wong received the National Science Foundation's Outstanding Science Teacher in Illinois award and the National Science Teaching Achievement Recognition (STAR) award by the National Science Teacher Association. In the same year he visited the former Soviet Union as the environmental science delegation leader with the student ambassador program. He was the first recipient of the outstanding alumni award by the University of Alberta in 1992 and also the first recipient of the distinguished alumni award by the College of Education at the University of Illinois in 1995. In 2013, he received the Distinguished Faculty Award in recognition of his significant achievements in research at Benedictine University. Currently, he is the author of thirty two books and has received the Midwest Book Author ward from the Children's Reading Roundtable of Chicago. His recent twelve books are dedicated to coaching teachers and students to effectively prepare for the state mandated examination across the nation with specific editions in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Ohio. Chak Lau currently is an independent management consultant. He has a unique blend of both human development and business consulting experience and skills. He received his B.A. in Journalism from the National Chengchi University in Taipei, his M.A. in Mass Communications and Ph.D. in Instructional Systems of Human Development from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul. With over 30 years in business and performance consulting, he has consulted with clients globally. His clients in the USA, Europe and China included academic institutions, Fortune global companies in technology, insurance, petroleum and retail. His consulting services include strategic planning, quality management, performance management and measurement, leadership and management development. Dr. Lau is a retired partner of Arthur Andersen's Business Consulting worldwide. He also held executive positions with IBM and Chief Learning Officer and Vice President for Kaplan Higher Education and University. Besides publishing in professional journals and lectured internationally at universities, and conferences, Dr. Lau was a member of the Board of Examiners for three years for the US Department of Commerce's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. He also served on the advisory councils of human development department for the University of Minnesota and Northern Illinois University.