Managing Incompetent Teachers

This paper discusses the problems associated with identifying incompetent teachers and it examines the lack of effort in defining incompetence and the corresponding absence of imagination in prescribing desirable traits in instruction. Described is the Teaching Competence Project, a 2-year research...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors Wragg, E. C, Haynes, G. S, Wragg, C. M, Chamberlin, R. P
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published 01.04.1999
Subjects
Elementary Secondary Education
England
Foreign Countries
Incompetence
Parent Attitudes
Principals
Student Attitudes
Teacher Behavior
Teacher Competencies
Teacher Effectiveness
Teaching Skills
United Kingdom (England)
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Summary:This paper discusses the problems associated with identifying incompetent teachers and it examines the lack of effort in defining incompetence and the corresponding absence of imagination in prescribing desirable traits in instruction. Described is the Teaching Competence Project, a 2-year research project undertaken in England that studied the basic question of what constitutes incompetence in the eyes of those making the judgment. It focuses on research related to head teachers (principals) and reports on an investigation of their perceptions and experiences of the problem of incompetence. It explores incompetence, operational definitions of incompetence, how teachers react to allegations of incompetence, what support was available to underperforming teachers, who else became involved, the duration of the cases, and the procedures followed. The article looks at the role of teacher-union officers and considers the types of cases encountered by union officers. It details the procedural issues and the role of the teacher unions. The article also focuses on local-education-authority officers, actions taken by the chairs of school-governing bodies, the reactions of teachers who have been alleged to be incompetent, and parents' and students' reactions to, and the steps they took when confronted with, incompetence. (RJM)