Everyone seems to be familiar with the notion of teacher tenure, but a recent ruling in California has generated a number of articles on the subject. A good point from this article is that this is one of many facets of our educational system that need close inspection. Apparently the judge decided that California’s system is so flawed that it discriminates against kids from low-income families. Whether this decision holds up to appeal remains to be seen, but at least it is starting a national conversation on the subject.

One wonders how many citizens, or even parents of school children for that matter, have any clue how their state’s tenure system works. More importantly, does your states system work? Are there states whose systems have been proven more effective than others? Should your state be modeling after them, coming up with a totally new approach whole cloth, or is it working beautifully as-is? Is your state’s system in place just because that’s how it’s always been or has it been retooled and improved upon over time?

The point is, if you don’t know, you can’t fix it. On the flip side, if you think it’s working fine as-is, how do you know if you haven’t examined it. These facets are important, get informed and get involved.