Many teachers say tenure interferes with removing problem colleagues

With a teacher absent, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute students work together on a math problem while a substitute speaks to the class. Because of easily obtained tenure, poor performance rarely results in teachers losing their jobs, other teachers say.

Tenure provides teachers with deserved job security, but more than half of teachers surveyed for a new Education Sector report said it also hinders schools in letting go of less-effective educators. "Even in the best schools, you'll find one teacher who probably shouldn't there," said Sabrina Silverstein, a Chicago pre-K teacher. "It takes a lot for a principal to get rid of a teacher." USA TODAY/Associated Press