Do America's public schools deserve a failing grade?

Having recently watched the documentary, "Waiting for Superman," I felt compelled to write about the current state of public education in America. This issue is also close to my heart as I myself am an educator in one of our nation's public high schools. Those who have seen the film know that it is highly critical of America's public schools, but is this criticism fair? I will be the first to admit that the education system in America needs to improve if we are going to keep pace with the rest of the world. Year after year, the United States has fallen in the worldwide rankings of education. Given the current state of education in America, one might ask, how do we improve America's schools? As a teacher, I think the solution requires a collaborative effort. A child cannot receive a quality education if only that child's teacher is involved in the educational process. Likewise, a child cannot receive a quality education if only the child's parents are involved in the educational process. Real success in the classroom depends on parents and teachers, along with the child, working together to ensure that child's success. Too many parents today simply are not involved in the education of their child. Many parents of children in America's schools do not send their children to school ready to learn. Many children in our public schools come to school tired and hungry everyday. How can a child expect to learn if they can't stay awake and if their stomach is constantly growling? Teachers deserve some of the blame for the state of America's educational system as well. I am not going to defend bad teachers. There is no room for poor teachers in America's schools. Every child deserves the best possible teacher, and teachers owe it to their students to give them the best possible education each and every day. Why do bad teachers continue to remain at the head of the class ? In my opinion, poor teachers remain in place due to a provision in their contracts known as tenure. Once a teacher reaches their sixth year of teaching, they are granted this privilege. Tenure provides teachers with an automatic contract renewal every year thereafter, regardless of job performance. Teachers can be fired for poor performance, but for tenured teachers, it is very difficult to do so. In my view, tenure needs to go. I believe that if schools get rid of tenure, teachers will have no choice but to put forth their best effort in the classroom every single day. As sad as it is to say, there are some teachers out there who are there only for a paycheck. Our kids deserve better and our nation deserves better. If fundamental changes are not made within our educational system, how can we expect our kids to compete in an ever changing technological world?