NJ Education Report

Reverend Reginald Jackson, head of New Jersey’s Black Ministers Council, will be at the Statehouse today advocating for school reform. Expect some fireworks; the Associated Press quotes him today deriding teacher tenure:

The Rev. Reginald Jackson said no other profession gives lifetime job security after three years. He said tenured teachers have no incentive to do their best.

We’re sensing a growing New Jersey trend of disapproval towards the lickety-split lifetime job security handed out to teachers like candy corn on Halloween. Hey, NJEA: how about 7 year renewable contracts? Or how about 6 years before tenure? Nah, we’re dreaming…

Then again, Michelle Rhee, Time Magazine covergirl and symbol of radical education reform (also Chancellor of D.C. Schools), has somehow managed to keep intact her plan that offers teachers the option of tenure plus capped pay or non-tenure plus big bonuses based on performance. Is teaching a risk-averse assembly-line occupation or a profession that rewards expertise and results? The jury’s still out.