Original title: Stimulating vitality is the key point of the reform of the teacher management system.
The mechanism for teachers to withdraw from the school is not new, and it can be traced back to the relevant provisions of the Teacher Law on "based on administrative punishment or dismissal" in China. With the passage of time, national-level education reform documents such as the "Outline of the National Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development Plan (2010-2020)" and the "Opinions of the Communist Party of China on Comprehensively Deepening the Reform of the Construction and Reform of the Teacher Team in the New Era" have clearly put forward the content of "improving the teacher exit mechanism". It is worth mentioning that Ningxia, as the first province in China to implement the teacher withdrawal mechanism, has voluntarily quit teaching positions in three years since 2011. According to incomplete statistics, more than 10 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have clearly announced the implementation of the teacher withdrawal mechanism, which indicates that the teacher withdrawal mechanism has gradually moved from policy text to educational practice.
In the education system, teachers play a key role in imparting knowledge, guiding ideas, and shaping personality. Throughout the world, most of the countries have set up a certain teacher withdrawal mechanism to ensure the quality and vitality of the teaching team. However, because the teacher withdrawal mechanism is a policy tool with strong impact, if it is not used properly, it may not only cause a greater social impact, but also have a negative impact on the teaching staff. Therefore, how to use this mechanism well is a topic worthy of in-depth research.
First of all, it should be clear that the fundamental purpose and core essence of the teacher withdrawal mechanism is to stimulate the vitality of the teaching team, not to dismiss some teachers. The "Opinions of the Communist Party of China on Comprehensively Deepening the Reform of the Construction and Reform of the Teacher Team in the New Era" proposes to "establish and improve the teacher exit mechanism and enhance the overall vitality of the teacher team". The withdrawal mechanism includes a series of relevant regulations such as conditions, methods, paths and support guarantees for withdrawal, and withdrawal is not only the withdrawal of unqualified people, nor is it just mandatory withdrawal, for example, Ningxia exited the teaching team through the withdrawal mechanism is "qualified, voluntary application" teachers, which emphasizes "voluntary", so that the operation of this mechanism has a neutral rather than punitive color.
The key point to let the exit mechanism play a role in stimulating the vitality of the teacher team is not only to improve the teacher evaluation system, but also to establish a systematic supporting system. However, while we are keen to improve the teacher evaluation system, we must also pay attention to the health and ecology of the teacher team, and carry out the construction of supporting systems from the following aspects.
First, establish an incentive mechanism. It is necessary to take the exit mechanism as an organic component of teachers' career development, combined with career development, promotion and reward system, and provide further career promotion opportunities and a broader development platform for teachers with outstanding performance, give corresponding rewards and greater development space, and form a positive feedback closed loop, so that teachers can be clear about their advance and retreat space.
Second, establish a fault-tolerant mechanism. It is necessary to fully reflect the humanistic nature of management and fully understand the complexity of teachers' work. In addition to not being tolerated for violating the requirements of the teacher's moral bottom line, a reasonable transition period should be set for teachers with non-principled defects or mistakes, giving them enough time to adapt, learn and improve, and let teachers have room for self-reflection, self-correction and self-improvement in an inclusive atmosphere before starting the exit mechanism.
Third, build a support system. Schools should provide strong support for teachers' growth and motivate teachers to actively participate in professional development activities. For teachers with average performance, especially those who have entered the exit mechanism, targeted professional training and guidance should be provided to help them improve their teaching ability and professional quality, so that teachers can realize that the withdrawal mechanism is not only a punitive measure, but also a process to promote their own professional growth. At the same time, diversified exit channels, such as retirement and job transfer, should be combined to adapt to the needs and actual situation of different teachers. For teachers who are willing to continue in education but are not suitable for their current role, they may consider a transfer, which can be supplemented by transfer training to provide strong support for a smooth transition in their careers.
Fourth, we need to establish a security system. The withdrawal mechanism of teachers should pay attention to the humanistic care of the process, and provide guarantees from various aspects such as psychology and life. When implementing the withdrawal mechanism, the emotion and dignity of teachers should be fully considered, and necessary psychological support and career counseling should be given.
Fifth, establish an evidence-based evaluation system for the last position. The teacher exit mechanism should be based on a fair and transparent evaluation system, and an evidence-based evaluation system can be established on the basis of routine evaluations, and evidence-based evaluations should be established for teachers who are at the bottom, and reasonable and evidence-based evaluations should be made from teaching skills, academic research, teacher ethics and other aspects. The evaluation process should be open and transparent to ensure that the teachers being evaluated are aware of the evaluation criteria and their own performance. In this way, teachers can fully recognize their own shortcomings and pay attention to what they need to improve, rather than just caring about whether they are eliminated.
To sum up, the teacher withdrawal mechanism is an important tool for the construction of the teaching team, but it cannot deviate from the core essence of this tool. Especially in the context of the decline of the school-age population and the relative surplus of teachers in the future, the teacher withdrawal mechanism should not be allowed to become a tool for the involution of the teacher team and the alienation of the teacher growth environment, but should become an effective means to stimulate and release the vitality of the teacher team. In this way, it can not only ensure the quality of education, but also motivate teachers to continue to grow and progress, and achieve high-quality development of education on the basis of the vitality of the teaching team.
Wang Hong, Dean of the Faculty of Teacher Education and Dean of the College of Teacher Education in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, South China Normal University
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