Obama Demands To Extend School Year And Lay Off Underperforming Teachers

President Obama has renewed his demand to remove underperforming teachers from public schools and extend the school year to make sure that America doesn't lag behind other developed countries. Speaking on NBC's "Today" show on Monday, Obama said, "We've got to be able to identify teachers who are doing well [and] teachers who are not doing well. We've got to give them the support and the training to do well". He further added, "And, ultimately, if some teachers aren't doing a good job, they've got to go".

The remarks made by the president echoed some comments he made in the past as well as remarks made by Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Teacher evaluation was one of the focal points of Obama administration's "Race to the Top" education initiative.

District school officials in Los Angeles have started negotiating a fresh contract with teacher unions and have asked for "value-added" analysis to be included in evaluations. Value-added assesses teachers' performance by judging student's progress on standardized assessments. The system has been adopted by various education policy makers and reformers.

Obama also spoke about teacher unions during the interview. He said, "What is also true is that sometimes that means they are resistant to change when things aren't working", while adding that in most states teacher unions have played their role in discovering solutions.

The president admitted that more funding is required to update facilities, equipment and textbooks, but added that spending without reform will do little to resolve issues relating to education.