ABSTRACT
Since the initial publication of this book, I have continued to reflect on the problem of teacher incompetence and to re-examine my views on this important, but controversial, issue. In this final chapter I want to share with the reader my current thoughts about five interrelated policy issues: (1) the possibilities and the prospects for improving the selection process; (2) the need to improve the ways in which teachers are treated during the early stages of their career; (3) the meaning of ‘fully competent’ performance as the basis for awarding tenure; (4) the standard of performance which is appropriate for revoking tenure; and (5) the importance of designing educational organizations which encourage educators to own, rather than deny or sidestep, the problem of incompetence. These five issues, in my judgment, form the core of any concerted effort to obtain and maintain a teaching force that is capable of meeting the challenges which lie ahead.
