Tenure: Blessing to Education

            Spectators are quick to judge and condemn tenure, yet it is improving the quality of education in the United States in a time where education is of the highest importance to compete in a technological, and innovative world. Sabella states that “if tenure was removed, after a subsequent decade of declining educational standards…the popular attitude would change drastically, by which time it would be much too late to save our schools.” Without the academic freedom and educational stability that is created by tenure, the young minds waiting to be educated would be sadly disappointed by the mediocre, biased education they receive. Though tenure seems like it has the potential to be detrimental to the quality of education present in the United States, the reality is that there is no such effect. Unfortunately, tenured educators like my chemistry teacher give tenure a bad reputation to those ignorant of the true facts and statistics. Knowing the true, benevolent nature of tenure, however, makes the truth undeniable: tenure is education’s salvation.

Works Cited

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Carroll, Linda L. “Tenure and Academic Excellence.” Acadame May-June 2000. Academe Online. American Association of University Professors. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. <http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2000/MJ/Feat/carr.htm>.

Lee, John. “Tenure.” Update 7.3 (2001): 1-8. Higher Education. National Education Association. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <www.nea.org/he>.

O’Toole, James. “Tenure: A conscientious objection.” Change 26.3 (1994): 79-87. Education Research Complete. EBSCO. Web. 31 Oct. 2010.

Sabella, Robert. “Tenure’s Affects on the Quality of Education.” Online interview. 2 Nov. 2010.

“Tenure.” Protecting Bad Teachers. Center for Union Facts, 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://teachersunionexposed.com/protecting.cfm>.

“Truth About Tenure in Higher Education.” Higher Education Department. National Education Association, 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nea.org/home/33067.htm>.