Academic tenure
Academic tenure is a permanent employment status granted to educators, typically following a probationary period, that is most commonly associated with faculty at colleges and universities, though it can also apply to teachers in elementary and secondary schools. This status offers significant job security, protecting educators from being dismissed without just cause, which in turn fosters an environment where they can freely explore and discuss controversial topics in their teaching and research. The tenure process usually involves a thorough evaluation of a teacher's performance, with requirements differing based on the educational level, including a tenure track of five years for higher education faculty and three years for K-12 teachers.
While tenure can enhance commitment and credibility for educational institutions, it is not without controversy. Critics argue that it can make it difficult to dismiss underperforming teachers, leading to a disparity between tenured and non-tenured faculty. Additionally, the practice may discourage nontenured educators from engaging with sensitive subjects for fear of job security. As states consider reforms to tenure policies, the debate continues regarding its impact on academic freedom, educator accountability, and the overall quality of education.
Academic tenure
In education, academic tenure is a permanent appointment awarded to teachers after completing a probationary period. Tenure is usually granted to faculty at colleges and universities, but the practice can also be applied to teachers at elementary and secondary schools.
Academic tenure provides faculty members with job security and protects academic freedom, enabling educators to teach and research controversial subjects without the fear of losing their jobs. The practice asserts that teachers cannot be fired without adequate cause and due process.
Tenure builds educator commitment and strengthens an institution's reputation. Nevertheless, the policy has also come under fire. The practice divides nontenured faculty from tenured, influencing each side's behavior. The policy makes it difficult to fire incompetent teachers. Some states are considering legislation to end tenure at public colleges and universities.
Background
Academic tenure ensures stable employment for full-time teachers at institutions of learning. Schools hire faculty on a contractual basis, under which teachers can be dismissed at any time. Educators become eligible for tenure review after serving a probationary period.
The "tenure track" typically lasts at least five years for faculty at colleges and universities. Elementary and high school teachers may undergo a trial period of at least three years.
Educators are vetted for tenure through a careful and thorough review process. Faculty members are evaluated based upon their teaching, research, publishing, and other performance criteria.
Academic tenure grants a high degree of job security, but it is not a lifetime guarantee of employment, a common misconception. The practice guards against wrongful termination. Tenured teachers cannot be fired for any reasons apart from adequate or just cause, such as misconduct. Tenure also grants educators due process, which means they can answer to any charges against them at a hearing in front of their peers.
Tenured educators can be dismissed due to extraordinary circumstances. This includes layoffs due to a school's financial situation, decrease in federal or state funding, or the closing of a department or program.
The practice of academic tenure grew in the United States during the early and middle nineteenth century. At the time, schools did not receive funding from the state or federal government. Learning institutions depended on money from donors, their only means of support. Because of their financial sway, donors believed they could dismiss faculty or prevent the hiring of teachers whose religious or political views conflicted with their own. The implementation of tenure protected qualified teachers from removal.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, the speeches and views of faculty members on controversial topics increasingly faced scrutiny by the press, lawmakers, community leaders, and school donors. Some teachers lost their jobs because the institution's administration bowed to pressure to fire them, putting the ideals of academic freedom in jeopardy.
In 1915, a group of professors formed the American Association of University Professors to create tenure guidelines for higher education. The group published a set of principles outlining the rights of faculty members to academic freedom and job security. In 1940, the organization developed a Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure that became the model for implementing tenure in US colleges and universities.
Overview
Academic tenure can benefit educators and learning institutions. It has been used to defend academic freedom in the classroom, and makes it difficult for faculty to be terminated. However, the practice also has its downside. Tenure has encountered controversy for making it too hard to dismiss teachers who may not be performing up to task.
Tenured faculty are more likely to speak up about hot-button issues and teach them in class. They can research contentious topics that may draw the ire of corporations, the government, or other powerful entities. Teachers with tenure can pursue their interests without being silenced or dismissed for their work in the pursuit of knowledge.
The practice promotes the sense of commitment that teachers feel for the learning institutions that employ them. Nontenured faculty work hard to gain tenure, from developing their teaching skills to working on research projects and publishing their work. When they are granted tenure, teachers receive assurance they can continue their research and embark on future opportunities with the school. Educators have the institution's confidence they can provide a solid education for students.
The works of tenured professors help build the reputation of the college or university. New research and breakthroughs can raise the school's prestige, attracting donors and students. Tenured professors can be awarded grants for their work. The faculty can also receive national and international recognition.
Academic tenure draws a line between the faculty who have tenure and those who do not. Professors without tenure may be less likely to teach or research politically unpopular subjects to avoid losing their jobs. They may not want to risk offending the institution's administration, donors, or influential groups. Nontenured teachers would rather be silent than be silenced.
While educators strive to gain tenure, they may not work as hard once they have received it. Teachers may cut down on their teaching, knowing they can keep their positions with fewer instructional hours. They may spend less time in their offices on campus, providing less support for students. Tenured professors may publish more research, but the quality may be lacking.
Some faculty members are accused of being lazy or incompetent after receiving tenure. Underperforming teachers with tenure may be putting in less effort for their high compensation. Their tarnishing reputations could hurt the institution's esteem and undermine the quality of students' education.
As the criticisms against tenure pile up, three states are taking aim at eliminating the practice at state institutions.
In 2015, Wisconsin's budget effectively dealt a deathblow to tenure in the university system. Professors with and without tenure can lose their jobs upon the termination of a program due to budget or institutional reasons.
The legislatures in Missouri and Iowa introduced legislation in January 2017 that would end tenure for new faculty hires at public colleges and universities starting in 2018. The Iowa bill would also strip tenure status from educators who currently have it. Both bills seemed to die in the legislature, but they raised questions about the future of the practice of tenure.
The Review of Education looked further into states growing attacks on tenure and found that from 2012 to 2022 there were 13 tenure-ban bills introduced. While many bills have stalled in the legislature, the trend demonstrates a change in the approach to higher education and job security.
Academic tenure is a divisive policy that has advantages and disadvantages. The practice protects teachers from wrongful firings and defends academic freedom, promoting the research of controversial subjects to further knowledge. However, the policy can contradict its educational goals by enabling underperforming teachers to remain on faculty staff.
Bibliography
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