LIFO (education)
Encyclopedia
Last in First Out is a policy often used by school districts during layoffs. The methodology behind LIFO is that layoffs are done by seniority and as a result, the least senior employees are let go before the more senior employees. The Last in First Out policy is not exclusive to, but most notorious in, the education sector.
The Last in First out policy is intended to be an efficient means of doing layoffs in the event of a budget cut. The Last in First Out policy was put in place to protect teachers with tenure
and give them job stability.
, more than 82% of teachers have 4 or more years of experience. On the contrary, in schools where more than 75% of the student body receives Free and Reduced meals, 23% of the teachers have less than 4 years of experience. Moreover, in California, it was seen that in schools in the lowest quartile of minority students, only 8 of every 100 teachers had two or less years of teaching whereas in schools with the highest quartile of minority students, 13 of every 100 teachers had two or less years of teaching, meaning that under LIFO-based layoffs, schools with larger minority populations would lose 60% more teachers. Finally, teachers in high need areas, such as secondary math and special education, are often less experienced due to the difficulty of recruiting these positions, and districts who adhere strictly to seniority based systems for layoffs face the added burden of recruiting teachers in these areas. In Los Angeles, it was noted that of the hundreds of promising new teachers cut in from the district in 2010 due to LIFO, 190 were in the top fifth overall of teachers in raising math and reading scores.
(VAM) could be used in tenure decisions for teachers in order to estimate teacher quality. A VAM would predict how well a teacher would do based on his or her previous experience teaching. Data shows that the VAM based on standardized test scores, is a better indicator of teacher performance than any observable attributes.
In using a VAM to evaluate teachers for a tenure decision, school districts can ensure that they teachers they retain (and the teachers who in turn become the most senior) are effective educators, thereby eliminating some of the discrepancy between LIFO and performance-based layoffs.
Michelle Rhee
, the former Chancellor of Washington, D.C. public schools, is a vocal advocate against the Last in First Out policy, instead suggesting performance based evaluation to determine layoffs. While Rhee was at the helm of the DC school system, she introduced the IMPACT evaluation for teachers, which measured teacher performance and was the primary factor for layoffs. She is the CEO of Students First, a grassroots movement "designed to mobilize parents, teacher, students, and administrators, and citizens" to demand a better American education system. Since its founding in 2010, Studentsfirst has been behind legislation across the country which promotes alternative evaluation methods through its "Save Great Teachers" Campaign. Victories from this campaign have been seen in Florida, Utah, Michigan, Nevada, Tennessee, and Utah.
The Last in First out policy is intended to be an efficient means of doing layoffs in the event of a budget cut. The Last in First Out policy was put in place to protect teachers with tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
and give them job stability.
Background
The Last in First Out policy reflects the idea of tenure. Tenure is a policy which emphasizes job stability. It originated as a means to provide college professors with academic freedom such that they could do research on topics of their choosing. Today, having tenure provides its beneficiaries with special benefits. To attain tenure, an individual must establish his or herself by performing exceptional services. In the K-12 sector, tenure was introduced to lower high teacher turnover rates. In 1932, over 20% of teachers were dismissed due to personal disagreements and difference of opinion. Recently, LIFO has come under scrutiny as "seniority based layoffs result in promising, inexperienced teachers losing their positions, while their ineffective, but more senior, peers continue to teach." Currently, 12 states (Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Kentucky, W. Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York) execute layoffs based on seniority.Effects of LIFO
LIFO has a more severe impact in poor or high minority schools, since those schools tend to have newer and less experienced teachers. In schools where 34% or less of the students receive Free and Reduced mealsReduced price meal
Reduced price meal is a term used in the U.S.A. to describe a federally reimbursable meal served to a child who applies for and qualifies because the family’s income is between 130% and 185% of the federal poverty threshold...
, more than 82% of teachers have 4 or more years of experience. On the contrary, in schools where more than 75% of the student body receives Free and Reduced meals, 23% of the teachers have less than 4 years of experience. Moreover, in California, it was seen that in schools in the lowest quartile of minority students, only 8 of every 100 teachers had two or less years of teaching whereas in schools with the highest quartile of minority students, 13 of every 100 teachers had two or less years of teaching, meaning that under LIFO-based layoffs, schools with larger minority populations would lose 60% more teachers. Finally, teachers in high need areas, such as secondary math and special education, are often less experienced due to the difficulty of recruiting these positions, and districts who adhere strictly to seniority based systems for layoffs face the added burden of recruiting teachers in these areas. In Los Angeles, it was noted that of the hundreds of promising new teachers cut in from the district in 2010 due to LIFO, 190 were in the top fifth overall of teachers in raising math and reading scores.
LIFO and the Value-Added Model
In many states, tenure is given to teachers after 3 years, without much indication of job performance. A value added modelValue-added modeling
Value-added modeling is a method of teacher evaluation that measures the teacher's contribution in a given year by comparing current school year test scores of their students to the scores of those same students in the previous school year, as well as to the scores of other students in the same...
(VAM) could be used in tenure decisions for teachers in order to estimate teacher quality. A VAM would predict how well a teacher would do based on his or her previous experience teaching. Data shows that the VAM based on standardized test scores, is a better indicator of teacher performance than any observable attributes.
In using a VAM to evaluate teachers for a tenure decision, school districts can ensure that they teachers they retain (and the teachers who in turn become the most senior) are effective educators, thereby eliminating some of the discrepancy between LIFO and performance-based layoffs.
Controversy and the Overhaul of LIFO
Starting with Arizona in 2009, certain states and districts have been passing laws which prohibit seniority from being the deciding factor in layoff decisions. Maine, Louisiana, and District of Columbia use multiple criteria in determining layoffs, and numerous other states are trending towards performance based over seniority based layoffs. Furthermore, since less experienced teachers typically have lower salaries, it is estimated that if districts nationwide cut 5% of their budget through seniority based layoffs, approximately 79,000 more teachers would lose their jobs versus seniority neutral layoffs. In a survey of NY parents regarding teacher quality versus seniority, voters expressed that they did not care about how long a teacher has taught so long as the teacher was effective and produced good results.Michelle Rhee
Michelle Rhee
Michelle A. Rhee is a public figure involved in the American education system. She was chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools from 2007 to 2010...
, the former Chancellor of Washington, D.C. public schools, is a vocal advocate against the Last in First Out policy, instead suggesting performance based evaluation to determine layoffs. While Rhee was at the helm of the DC school system, she introduced the IMPACT evaluation for teachers, which measured teacher performance and was the primary factor for layoffs. She is the CEO of Students First, a grassroots movement "designed to mobilize parents, teacher, students, and administrators, and citizens" to demand a better American education system. Since its founding in 2010, Studentsfirst has been behind legislation across the country which promotes alternative evaluation methods through its "Save Great Teachers" Campaign. Victories from this campaign have been seen in Florida, Utah, Michigan, Nevada, Tennessee, and Utah.