A revised edition of this book on teacher incompetence which, using research information, offers an analysis of the types of administrative response: tolerance of poor performance, salvage attempts and induced exits.

From Simon & Schuster, Guy Strickland's Bad Teachers includes the essential guide for concerned parents. Through sample situations and a wealth of information on today's educational system, Guy Strickland--a teacher and school administrator for over 30 years--offers a practical approach to determine if a child's learning roadblocks stem from a bad teacher, and if so, how to solve that problem right away.

A revised edition of this book on teacher incompetence which, using research information, offers an analysis of the types of administrative response: tolerance of poor performance, salvage attempts and induced exits.

Rundown, vermin-infested buildings. Rigid, slow-to-react bureaucratic systems. Children from broken homes and declining communities. How can a teacher succeed? How does a student not only survive but also come to thrive? It can happen, and As Bad as They Say? tells the heroic stories of Janet Mayer’s students during her 33-year tenure as a Bronx high school teacher. In 1995, Janet Mayer’s students began a pen-pal exchange with South African teenagers who, under apartheid, had been denied an education; almost uniformly, the South Africans asked, “Is the Bronx as bad as they say?” This dedicated teacher promised those students and all future ones that she would write a book to help change the stereotypical image of Bronx students and show that, in spite of overwhelming obstacles, they are outstanding young people, capable of the highest achievements. She walks the reader through the decrepit school building, describing in graphic detail the deplorable physical conditions that students and faculty navigate daily. Then, in eight chapters we meet eight amazing young people, a small sample of the more than 14,000 students the writer has felt honored to teach. She describes her own Bronx roots and the powerful influences that made her such a determined teacher. Finally, the veteran teacher sounds the alarm to stop the corruption and degradation of public education in the guise of what are euphemistically labeled “reforms” (No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top). She also expresses optimism that public education and our democracy can still be saved, urgently calling on all to become involved and help save our schools.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A groundbreaking history of 175 years of American education that brings the lessons of the past to bear on the dilemmas we face today—and brilliantly illuminates the path forward for public schools. “[A] lively account." —New York Times Book Review In The Teacher Wars, a rich, lively, and unprecedented history of public school teaching, Dana Goldstein reveals that teachers have been embattled for nearly two centuries. She uncovers the surprising roots of hot button issues, from teacher tenure to charter schools, and finds that recent popular ideas to improve schools—instituting merit pay, evaluating teachers by student test scores, ranking and firing veteran teachers, and recruiting “elite” graduates to teach—are all approaches that have been tried in the past without producing widespread change.

There is a major emphasis in the USA and Australia and some other countries to improve student learning outcomes through merit pay programs. The research shows that merit pay has been almost universally a failure to raise student learning levels. This book provides numerous examples of how recognition is meeting the intrinsic needs of teachers around the world. More than 50% of the school districts in both K-12 schools and community colleges in the USA were found not to have such recognition programs. Leadership is needed at all levels to make this become a reality. Every exceptional teacher should receive a special 'thank you' from their boards and administrators. Teachers, administrators and governing boards need to work together to make this happen. Board members will find this book provides a major pathway to improving teacher morale and student outcomes. Parents will also become more cognizant about their quality teachers and the impact they are making and should, therefore, demand that all teachers be hired and retained at that high level for their students.