Dismissal for Poor Performance: Louisiana
Exiting Ineffective Teachers Policy
Analysis of Louisiana's policies
Louisiana does make teacher ineffectiveness grounds for dismissal. State law articulates that "...evaluating the teacher's performance as ineffective shall constitute sufficient proof of poor performance, incompetence, or willful neglect of duty and no additional documentation shall be required to substantiate such charges." The state has a grievance procedure that it must use before it can dismiss a teacher receiving an ineffective evaluation rating. However, once this requirement has been met, the teacher undergoes the same appeals procedures as teachers facing charges commonly associated with license revocation, such as a felony and/or morality violations.
In Louisiana, tenured teachers who are terminated have one opportunity
to appeal. After the board notifies the teacher of dismissal, the
teacher has up to 60 days to file an appeal with a court of competent
jurisdiction.
Recommendations for Louisiana
Ensure that teachers terminated for poor performance have the opportunity to appeal within a reasonable time frame. Nonprobationary teachers who are dismissed for any grounds, including ineffectiveness, are entitled to due process. However, cases that drag on for years drain resources from school districts and create a disincentive for districts to attempt to terminate poor performers. Although Louisiana only allows one appeal and limits the amount of time for filing to 60 days, the fact that appeals are to a court makes the likelihood of disposition within a reasonable time frame questionable at best. The state should ensure that the opportunity to appeal occurs at the district level, and that appeals related to classroom effectiveness are decided only by those with educational expertise.
Distinguish the process and accompanying due process rights between dismissal for classroom ineffectiveness and dismissal for morality violations, felonies or dereliction of duty.
While nonprobationary teachers should have due process for any termination, it is important to differentiate between loss of employment for and issues with far-reaching consequences that could permanently affect a teacher's right to practice. Louisiana should ensure that appeals related to classroom effectiveness are decided only by those with educational expertise.
State response to our analysis
Louisiana recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.
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Louisiana
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Delivering Well Prepared Teachers
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Identifying Effective Teachers
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Research rationale
States need to be explicit that teacher ineffectiveness is grounds for dismissal.
Most states have laws on their books that address teacher dismissal; however, these laws are much more likely to consider criminal and moral violations than performance. When performance is included, it is too often in a euphemistic term such as "incompetency," "inefficiency" or "incapacity." These terms are ambiguous at best and may be interpreted as concerning dereliction of duty rather than ineffectiveness. Without laws that clearly state that teacher ineffectiveness is grounds for dismissal, districts may feel they lack the legal basis for terminating consistently poor performers.
Due process must be efficient and expedited.
Nonprobationary teachers who are dismissed for any grounds, including ineffectiveness, are entitled to due process. However, due process rights that allow for multiple levels of appeal are not fair to teachers, districts and especially students. All parties have a right to have disputes settled quickly. Cases that drag on for years drain resources from school districts and create a disincentive for districts to attempt to terminate poor performances. Teachers are not well served by such processes either, as they are entitled to final resolution quickly.
Decisions about teachers should be made by those with educational expertise.
Multiple levels of appeal almost invariably involve courts or arbitrators who lack educational expertise. It is not in students' best interest to have the evidence of teachers' effectiveness evaluated by those who are not educators. A teacher's opportunity to appeal should occur at the district level and involve only those with educational expertise. This can be done in a manner that is fair to all parties by including retired teachers or other knowledgeable individuals who are not current district employees.
Dismissal for Poor Performance: Supporting Research
One of the greatest shortcomings of teacher performance appraisals has been school systems' unwillingness and inability to differentiate instructional competency. The New Teacher Project, 2009, "The Widget Effect: Our National Failure to Acknowledge and Act on Differences in Teacher Effectiveness" at http://widgeteffect.org.
See NCTQ, State of the States: Trends and Early Lessons on Teacher Evaluation and Effectiveness Policies (2011) as well as studies by The New Teacher Project of human resource and dismissal policies in various districts at: http://tntp.org/ideas-and-innovations.
For information on the high cost of teacher dismissals, see Steven Brill, "The Rubber Room," The New Yorker, August 31, 2009 at: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/08/31/090831fa_fact_brill;
Also, see S. Reeder, "The Hidden Costs of Tenure: Why are Failing Teachers Getting a Passing Grade?" Small Newspaper Group, 2005 at: http://thehiddencostsoftenure.com.