Japan’s teachers earn tenure on Day One

Abstract

Teachers in Japan earn tenure on their first day of employment -- not after two years of experience based on evaluations of teaching performance or student test scores. This is almost too good to be true. If tenure is so easy to attain, how do the Japanese make sure their teachers, especially novice teachers hired with little teaching experience, provide effective instruction? How do they embed accountability among teachers? An equally amazing fact about Japan is the high retention rate of beginning teachers. In 2006, merely 1.35% of 1st-year teachers in Japan left the profession, compared to the U.S. where almost half leave teaching sometime during the first five years. Why is there such a difference? Is teaching any easier in Japan than in the U.S.?

Japan’s innovative approach to professional learning

“…As government employees, teachers are essentially granted tenure on the very first day of hire (Ahn et al, 2016). But their status as civil servants brings with it many policies governing their work conditions, including professional development requirements.…”