The XX Factor: What women really think.

Wanted: Smart Teachers Who Will Stick Around

A few years ago, Education Next ran a terrific article about how the teachers assigned to Manhattans smartest high-schoolers are there because of seniority rather than expertise. According to that piece, half of the teaching vacancies at Stuyvesant are reserved for teachers seeking transfers from other New York City schools, and those must be "filled solely on the basis of seniority." 

As someone who had to suffer through a computer science course taught by a fairly batty, near-retirement woman who seemed to be gazing upon Microsoft Word for the first time, I know how painful it is to be taught by someone whose only qualification is having put in some time. I hope Obama strives not just for getting smarter teachers in the classrooms but for creating a system that encourages them to stay there. Teach For America hasn't quite nailed that. TFA puts smart, motivated, overachiever types straight from their elite college campuses to impoverished school districts, and studies show they are effective. But most of my friends who've done it burn out almost immediately—not a huge surprise, given that they're idealists used to succeeding, having to face their failure not only to change the world, but even to get their students to sit down. What we need are smart teachers who can stick around long enough to get that last stint at Stuyvesant.