Performance Screens for School Improvement: The Case of Teacher Tenure Reform in New York City
Tenure reforms in NYC led to a substantial drop in the percent of
eligible teachers approved for tenure – from 94 percent during
academic years 2007-08 and 2008-09, the two years prior to the
introduction of the policy, to 89 percent in the first year of
the policy (2009-10) and to an average of 56 percent during the
three subsequent years.
The vast majority of eligible teachers who were not approved for
tenure had their probationary period extended. The proportion of
teachers denied tenure changed only slightly, from two to three
percent, following reform.