The New Jersey Education Association today launched a statewide TV ad campaign to begin publicizing its comprehensive education reform proposal.
The 30-second ad tells viewers that the NJEA plan will identify excellent teachers and make it easier to remove those that are ineffective.
“NJEA is calling for a strong evaluation process that identifies excellent teachers and removes ineffective ones,” said NJEA President Barbara Keshishian. “At the same time, it will ensure that employment decisions will be based on performance, not politics or standardized tests that are unfair to students and teachers alike,” she said.
The ad, which will air in the New York and Philadelphia broadcast markets and on New Jersey cable networks, is an “unequivocal statement by NJEA that it insists on excellent teachers for all students,” Keshishian said. “Our priority has always been to have great public schools for every child.”
Education reform will be a central focus of the upcoming “lame duck” session of the Legislature – beginning Nov. 9 – which will feature a major debate on a host of issues including evaluations, tenure reform, and the use of standardized tests.
“NJEA disagrees with Governor Christie’s approach, which would strip away fair dismissal rights from teachers,” Keshishian said. “He places far too much emphasis on standardized tests in evaluating teachers. Both parents and teachers know that’s not good policy.”
Christie’s proposal also allows teachers to continue in the classroom after two years of negative evaluations. The NJEA proposal would make these teachers immediately subject to dismissal proceedings.
“The bottom line is that a teacher who cannot or will not do his or her job effectively should be dismissed,” Keshishian said.
The NJEA tenure proposal lengthens the time for new teachers to earn tenure by adding a fourth “residency” year to the tenure process, during which first-year teachers would receive intensive mentoring by Teacher Leaders, more support, and more comprehensive evaluations.
The NJEA reform plan also calls for changes in evaluations, professional development, mentoring, charter school accountability, expanded early education opportunities, family involvement, and strong restrictions on privatization of public education.