Why can't the outsiders understand that the real problem is the terrible working conditions in so many high-poverty schools? If they were a principal, would they go through the not-so-onerous process of dismissing teachers when they may not be able to find better replacements?

The leader of any organization knows that part of his or her job is to look for better ways to do things and to stay current on trends in the field. We should expect no less from our school leaders.

Why have politicians and others decided to ignore the research and use defective systems to make major decisions about retaining teachers or determining their pay? Why are we not "minding the gap"?