"Today, our system is built on principles of non-meritocracy and non-differentiation, and those two principles are killing us. At the heart of the problem are the three pillars of civil service: lock-step pay, seniority and life tenure. Together, they act as handcuffs and prevent us from making the changes that will encourage excellence in our system. Indeed, they undermine virtually all innovation in our schools, inhibit the creation of accountability, and lead, in general, to enormous problems and inequities in our system.
Let me give you a few examples.
First, right now we have a system in which our least experienced teachers are highly disproportionately assigned to our most challenging schools. What's more, because of the difficulties associated with removing teachers and the resulting problem of sub-standard teachers being shuffled through the system, some of our most ill-equipped teachers end up in the most challenging schools. This makes no sense. It means that our neediest children are getting teachers who cannot meet their educational needs.
Second, and as a consequence of the last point, we are losing teachers -- our most valuable resource -- in droves. The three-year attrition rate in New York City schools is about 40%. For those of you in the business world, just imagine if you lost 4 out of 10 of your bankers, software developers or accountants after three years. That's just an outrageous waste of human talent. When I ask teachers why they leave, or when teachers write me tear-stained emails explaining why they are leaving, they invariably tell me it's largely because of a lack of support. What's so sad is that we could correct this trend of new teachers leaving the system if we were permitted to ensure that new teachers start in our stable, high-performing schools where they can get the mentoring and guidance they need before taking on our most challenging assignments. No organization that succeeds does it the way we do.
Third, we have far too many uncertified teachers in shortage areas like math, science, ELL and special education. Because of the lock-step pay requirements, however, we are unable to offer premium pay to attract individuals who can work elsewhere or in other fields. The impact is felt, once again, in our highest needs schools since, all other things being equal, teachers in shortage areas can choose not to teach at those schools. Colleges and universities offer premium pay to teachers in high-demand areas. And we should do it here, too.
Fourth, the work rules that currently govern our schools inappropriately constrain teachers' ability to work with students in the lunchroom or in the hallways of their schools. Under the work rules, teachers are exempt from hall and lunchroom duty. This simply is the wrong model of school management. Schools are communities with shared visions in which the example set by a teacher sets the tone for the entire school. I frequently hear from teachers who think that their participation in hall duty or lunchroom duty "would make a significant difference in [their] school's atmosphere." But in today's system, the work rules -- and not the leaders of our school communities -- determine when and where teachers will work.
Finally, in our system, principals are prevented from choosing their own staffs. As we move toward holding our principals more accountable for the quality of education that is provided in their school buildings -- and I believe that such accountability is critical to transforming our schools -- we should also empower our principals and allow them to make decisions about hiring, firing and promoting teachers. As we all know, in the absence of such authority (especially in a small organization like a school), our schools can become destabilized.
And without clear accountability, we have become, not surprisingly, an excuse-based culture. I cannot tell you how often I hear it. And I know you've heard it, too. When our schools are not performing, people blame the kids. Or the parents. Or the tests. Or the principals. Or the supervisors. Or whomever. Just someone else -- anyone else.
Our challenge is to move from this excuse-based culture to a culture based on excellence."
