American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten unveiled a new framework last week to guide due process for teachers deemed by administrators to be ineffective.
In prepared remarks, Ms. Weingarten emphasized that the “three-step process” should be part of a comprehensive system of teacher development and evaluation.
The procedures, she said, would include notice in writing of specific concerns, followed by the collaborative development of an improvement plan for the teacher that should include “clearly articulated measures of success, timeliness, support needed, and periodic reviews.”
The union representing the teacher would have the right to object if the supports in the plan were not deemed sufficient. No improvement plan could continue for more than one school year, Ms. Weingarten said.
A hearing process would determine whether the plan was successful and the teacher was performing up to the standard set. A “neutral third party” would review the recommendations put forward by an administrator and peer experts, when there was a peer-review process in place.
“The bottom line is that the hearing is really a review of the entire evaluative process to ensure fairness and objectivity,” Ms. Weingarten said. “It’s not a relitigation of what constitutes good teaching.”
The announcement of the plan follows the AFT executive council’s recent backing of a new framework for handling teacher misconduct.
