By — Tracy Wholf Tracy Wholf Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/update-new-york-becomes-latest-state-challenge-teacher-tenure-law Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter UPDATE: New York becomes latest state to challenge teacher tenure law Nation Aug 3, 2014 8:16 PM EDT Two separate education advocacy groups have filed suits in New York challenging the state’s teacher tenure laws. The suits claim that current laws, which protect teacher employment, violate the constitutional rights of children and make it difficult to dismiss ineffective teachers. The suits are modeled after a successful California case known as ‘Vergara v. California,’ which was recently featured on PBS NewsHour Weekend. Just last month, a judge in the California case struck down laws on teacher tenure and job protections, paving the way for similar cases across the country. The New York cases were filed by the groups New York City Parents Union and Partnership for Educational Justice, which was founded by former journalist Campbell Brown. Teachers unions in California are planning to appeal the Vergara case, but it appears that won’t prevent other groups from tackling the issue of teacher tenure in their states. Advocacy groups in Connecticut and Pennsylvania have also announced they are in the early stages of filing their own suits against teacher tenure. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Tracy Wholf Tracy Wholf Tracy Wholf joined NewsHour Weekend in 2013 as an associate producer and frequently appears on the show as a correspondent covering environmental, educational and cultural stories. She previously worked as a producer and researcher for the TV news magazine program Dan Rather Reports where she earned her first Emmy nomination for a story about human rights issues in Afghanistan. Prior to working in journalism, Tracy spent 10 years as a musical theater performer and danced with the Las Vegas company of “Mamma Mia!” for a year. She is an alumnus of Northwestern University and Columbia University. @TWholf
Two separate education advocacy groups have filed suits in New York challenging the state’s teacher tenure laws. The suits claim that current laws, which protect teacher employment, violate the constitutional rights of children and make it difficult to dismiss ineffective teachers. The suits are modeled after a successful California case known as ‘Vergara v. California,’ which was recently featured on PBS NewsHour Weekend. Just last month, a judge in the California case struck down laws on teacher tenure and job protections, paving the way for similar cases across the country. The New York cases were filed by the groups New York City Parents Union and Partnership for Educational Justice, which was founded by former journalist Campbell Brown. Teachers unions in California are planning to appeal the Vergara case, but it appears that won’t prevent other groups from tackling the issue of teacher tenure in their states. Advocacy groups in Connecticut and Pennsylvania have also announced they are in the early stages of filing their own suits against teacher tenure. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now