Guaranteed, or your money back! Remember those days? Those words established the assurance of quality to a recipient, or the cost for repair or replacement became the responsibility of the confident provider. The concept of guaranteeing one’s work or product is becoming rare.
The offer of a new guarantee has the potential to revolutionize schools of education. The Georgia University system says, “Guaranteed, or we take the teacher back!” Within the first two years after graduation from college, the university system claims it will “take back” any new Georgia teacher if the school district determines the teacher’s performance is not effective. The offer applies to those new teachers who are employed to teach within their field of expertise.
If taken back, a teacher will receive additional training at no cost to the teacher or the school district. This guarantee affirms the concept of “no social promotion” at the highest level of education. Congratulations to the Georgia Board of Regents for focusing on results rather than attempts.
Over the years, the public education system has moved away from accountability for effectiveness. The resulting lack of concern for academic performance has led to the “dumbing-down” of curriculum. It has contributed to the “soft bigotry of low expectations,” and is the reason that some high school graduates cannot read. The movement toward standards and assessments is absolutely necessary for closing the existing racial, social, and economic achievement gaps.
Research studies confirm that the competency of the classroom teacher is the single most important factor in student learning. One year of a poor teacher can slow a student’s academic achievement by two or more years. Two consecutive years of poor instruction can have such a profound effect that a student may never recover. Students in schools where parents have little education choice are the ones most often assigned poor-quality teachers. This is one reason for poor academic performance in schools serving lower-income families. Will the university system in North Carolina take the same challenge? Does the University of North Carolina Board of Governors have the courage to offer this type of guarantee? During the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy’s conference last October, I asked Dr. Madelieine Grumet, dean of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education, this question. Would she guarantee the UNC graduates? Her response was, “We are not producing widgets, we are working with individuals, and people are not machines.”
The UNC system produces many fine teachers. However, we cannot continue to live in denial. Many student teachers are just not prepared to face the challenges of the classroom today. Remember, the existing system is still not focused on results.
The teacher guarantee in Georgia is a refreshing change. This practice should be expanded to determine which teacher preparatory university produces better teachers. While there are many factors used to identify a quality teacher, students’ academic performance should be considered heavily.
Graduates of teacher colleges need to be accountable for the “value added” to their students’ academic growth. With an accountability system, all stakeholders know which education schools have produced the best-qualified teachers. If data of this type are reported, teacher quality will be based on results of teaching, not rhetoric. We won’t want our money back.