Critics Target Teacher Tenure, But Most Blows Miss the Mark

By Drew Lindsay

President Clinton joined a long line of policymakers and reformers when he took a swipe at teacher tenure in his speech at last month's education summit.

Job protection for teachers has become a popular rhetorical punching bag. From the president down, many lawmakers and top state officials--including more than half a dozen governors--have tried to modify tenure in the past year. But most have missed.

"There ought to be a fair process for removing teachers who aren't competent," Mr. Clinton told the governors and business leaders gathered in Palisades, N.Y, adding that states "need a system that doesn't look the other way if a teacher is burned out or not...