| D.C. Schools Chief Rhee Fires 241 Teachers Using New Evaluation System |
 |
 |
| Education | |||
| Written by Hannah Ross - WI Staff | |||
| Wednesday, 28 July 2010 09:48 | |||
 DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Courtesy PhotoDistrict schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced Fri., July 23 the firing of 241 teachers who fell short of the new guidelines and standards set by a new district-wide evaluation system. The new IMPACT system examines the aptitude of teachers based on the performance of their students on standardized tests, as well as data-based feedback provided through peer review. Rhee said in a statement “Every child in a District of Columbia public school has a right to a highly effective teacher -- in every classroom, of every school, of every neighborhood, of every ward, in this city. That is our commitment. Today, with the release of the first year of results from IMPACT, the educator assessment system, we take another step toward making that commitment a reality."  Marchers gather to protest the firing of DCPS teachers.Courtesy PhotoAccording to a statement on the D.C. Public Schools website, IMPACT "seeks to create a culture in which all school-based personnel have a clear understanding of what defines excellence in their work, are provided with constructive and data-based feedback about their performance, and receive support to increase their effectiveness." The mass dismissals follow a landmark agreement with Rhee and the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) that increased new teacher salaries by 21 percent but eliminated teachers’ seniority designations. Instead, teachers will now be evaluated based on their students’ performance and are eligible for $20,000 to $30,000 in performance pay if their students exceed expectations on standardized tests and if they meet other benchmarks. While many parents, like Jeannette Jerome of Northeast, applaud the firings, there is still plenty concern over how students will fare with fewer or newer teachers. “Rhee gets a lot of flack because she is sweeping out a lot of teachers who simply cannot do the job effectively anymore. The reality is that many of them should have been fired years ago based on the way our children have been shoved through the system,” Jerome said. Jerome said that she and her husband had almost opted to pull their sons out of DCPS when they began to see decided changes in Rhee’s approach. With the futures of teen sons, Richard, 14 and Brenden, 16, in the balance, Jerome said it is necessary for Rhee to take a hard evaluation and even harder hand to an already failing system. “There will be some teachers that may get caught in the firings that do not deserve it, and for them an appeal is the only answer. But far too many of our children have been fed mediocrity and provided less-than for too long. In a recession no one wants to lose their job, but if you are not doing that job – firing is the only answer,” Jerome said. Appealing is exactly what WTU President George Parker plans to do. Citing a lack of clear understanding of the new IMPACT evaluation system on the parts of many teachers, Parker believes led to the dismal scoring for at least 81 of those fired Friday. Parker recently released the results of a teacher about IMPACT and concluded that 52 percent of the nearly 1,000 teachers surveyed did not understand what was required of them under the IMPACT evaluation system. “We strongly believe that the instrument should have been piloted during this first year so that teachers, principals, master educators and evaluators could have provided critical feedback on the flaws of the instrument and its' implementation prior to full scale implementation,” Parker said.
|
