Realities of Teacher Dismissal Revealed in Nashville Mock Trial

News provided by

Mar 04, 2010, 08:15 ET

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A February mock trial workshop introduced 150 Nashville, TN school administrators to the courtroom realities of tenured teacher termination. Mary Jo McGrath, a school law attorney and one of the nation's leading experts on teacher quality, supervision, evaluation and dismissal, knew the value of having administrators experience a teacher dismissal case first-hand.

"Dismissal is the last thing you ever want to do. It's complicated, time-consuming and costly," said McGrath. "But to be afraid to dismiss someone when it is warranted is even more costly in terms of harm to student achievement."

Held in Metro Nashville Public Schools' professional development center, McGrath's mock dismissal trial is the culmination of a series of workshops designed to increase administrator and teacher effectiveness through communication, supervision and leadership. Advanced workshops include effective documentation, discipline and dismissal.

"Less than one percent of a teaching staff would ever be the subject of a dismissal hearing," McGrath said. "That's why we spend most of the workshop series giving administrators the tools and skills they need to promote excellence in the other 99 percent of their teachers. But for that remaining one percent who cannot or will not improve, we spend a full day on discipline and dismissal, including a mock dismissal trial for a fictional tenured teacher."

Dr. Jesse Register, Metro Nashville's Director of Schools, believes that being equipped to do the "tough stuff" is a vital part of the bigger need to promote improved teaching and best practices. Register explained, "If you don't deal with teachers who are not performing well, you cannot have a successful school or school system. You must combine addressing performance problems with an effective evaluation process that includes collaboration."

McGrath designed the mock trial materials with built-in deficiencies based on common mistakes made by school administrators. Participants were given the opportunity to fix those mistakes before arguing their cases. "When they remedied the deficiencies," McGrath said, "they won. And when they didn't, they lost, and our fictitious teacher was reinstated."

When administrators know that the practice of transferring poor teachers to another school will not be permitted, they see the importance of doing their jobs well on a daily basis - supporting teachers, providing effective feedback, and holding the line when performance or conduct indicates that a teacher does not belong in the classroom. According to Dr. Register, "In Metro Nashville Public Schools teachers will not be moved around to avoid confronting the issue. We will work with them where they are, and appropriate action will be taken."

Founded in 1989 by Mary Jo McGrath, McGrath Training Systems delivers workshops on topics of bullying, sexual harassment and abuse awareness, complaint intake and management, athletic liability, and employee supervision, evaluation, communication and leadership.