After a week of reform-oriented calls to action, Governor Dannel Malloy opened the 2012 General Assembly session with an emphatic message. Reform, not politics, was the order of the day.

"Let’s be honest with ourselves, and let’s speak bluntly: many parts of our system of public education are broken," the Governor told a joint legislative session.

"Yes, there are many places in our state where there are good schools and students are performing well. But in too many parts of the state that is simply not the case.

"In too many places, public schools are failing their two most basic missions: to provide children with an equal, world-class education, irrespective of race or income, and to ensure that their skills and knowledge match the needs of Connecticut’s employers. "

In addition to overhauling teacher preparation programs and creating new career ladders for teacher advancement, the Governor called for real reform to Connecticut's archaic system of teacher tenure, a system that rewards time on the job instead of student academic success.

"When I say it’s time we reform teacher tenure, I mean it," he said. "And when I say I’m committed to doing it in the right way, I mean it.

"Since 2009, 31 states have enacted tenure reform, including our neighboring states of New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. It’s time for Connecticut to act."

In order to ensure high standards, tenure will no longer mean a "job for life" without regard to student learning, rather it will be earned and re-earned predicated on a teacher's proven classroom effectiveness.

Student learning will be central to improving the professional field overall, and financial incentives will reward exceptional teachers. 

Teacher and principal evaluations based on student learning outcomes, school learning outcomes, as well as parent and teacher peer reviews will be used to identify professional development needs for individual teachers.

Every opportunity will be given to help teachers improve their craft, with retaining good teachers and helping them achieve greatness as the goal. 

Reiterating his stance on education reform, Governor Malloy cast aside the "false choice" that has come to dominate the tenure debate, namely that one must be either pro-reform or pro-teacher.

Arguing consistently against their mutual exclusivity, the Governor has been clear: This is not about denigrating a profession, but improving it with a focus on student success. 

"We cannot and will not fix what’s broken in our schools by scapegoating teachers," the governor said. "But nor can we fix it if we do not have the ability to remove teachers who don’t perform well in the classroom in a timely fashion.

"In this new system, tenure will be a privilege, not a right. It will be earned and retained through effective teaching, not by counting years of service.

"This is the year to reform teacher tenure. Let’s get it done."

As bold as Governor Malloy's vision is, it will take a commitment from the General Assembly to carry these measures forward.

At the conclusion of the session this May, will Connecticut's schoolchildren be able to thank a bipartisan legislature for enacting desperately needed reforms, or will they suffer the results of politics-as-usual and the half-measures that enable a disastrous status quo?

Time will tell.