Myth Busters: Students Fail Because Teachers Do

Today we are continuing to explore and expose common myths about teachers – including many that are being bandied about as state lawmakers across the country continue to make difficult decisions about education funding in the face of serious budget shortfalls.

Today’s Myth: Most teachers are incompetent, and teachers are the reason that schools fail.

Are there incompetent teachers in our schools?

Of course there are. And should they be removed, even if teachers’ union leaders resist? Of course they should.

No child should have to endure being taught by an incompetent, cruel or otherwise damaging teacher.

That said, the perception that the typical American public school teacher is incompetent is simply not true.

In our work at the Institute, we spend a great deal of time in schools and classrooms – and much of what we see is impressive. Many of the teachers we see at work – including many who we ask to see on our own, without a recommendation from an administrator or any advance notice – work miracles every day they come together with their students.

But we aren’t just relying on our own experiences when we say that the average American teacher is competent and effective.

The Teacher Advancement Program, which serves thousands of teachers nationwide, relies on both student test results and extensive observation methods to determine teacher effectiveness.

Of teachers who have been evaluated, more than 85 percent have been deemed proficient, earning a score of three or higher on a five-point scale. And one-third of teachers earned a four or five on the assessment.

That means that when we say that teachers are ineffective, we are basically allowing a fairly small percentage to malign the profession as a whole. This is clearly unfair – and not something we see to be as quick to do when talking about effectiveness in other fields.

So, we hope that next time you hear teachers being maligned – or you hear people arguing that dramatic cuts to education are OK because teachers are somehow undeserving of the job stability or benefits they have, we hope that you, as advocates of educational and social justice, will join us in speaking out.

We must stand up for our teachers, or our schools and students will surely pay the price.