D.C. Schools lose as Rhee resigns

Rhee has resigned from D.C. Public Schools in the wake of a new mayor-elect. It was a “mutual decision” made by both Rhee and new mayor Vincent Gray, accounts the Boston Globe. Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson will serve out the rest of the school years, writes the Washington Post.

Michelle Rhee stood up to teachers’ union

Public schools in the District of Columbia consistently ranked near the bottom within the most important achievement categories before Rhee’s arrival. Teachers that were not doing their positions were either kicked out or had to improve which is how Rhee made educational facilities better. The amount of teacher firings in Washington, D.C., schools earned Rhee numerous enemies, primarily those who supported the teachers’ union and tenure system. The Innovative Education Management said that teachers who had been in the system for over 3 years tended to be the teachers that could never leave the school. It took lots of proof for under-performing teachers to actually get fired. Tenured teachers were more prone to lack of motivation, as job security was assured as long as they put forth enough effort to skate by.

It would appear that ‘Unions can smell blood’

Rhee has resigned now which means the agenda she had in mind could have to be held up by Kaya Henderson. However, as the Globe puts it, “the unions can smell blood.” Tenure programs will likely continue, Henderson will probably be “gone after Christmas” and also the stream of teaching talent Michelle Rhee drew to D.C. Public Schools will likely dry up.

The foundations that funneled fast money into D.C. Schools because of Rhee’s passion for education reform may be re-evaluating their investment plans. Is it possible that D.C. educational facilities will not stop recovering from the terrible scores known to them since Michelle Rhee had been likely the only person who could do this. If she is not there, then will anything change? We might not see an education reform for some time nevertheless. This is because the D.C. teachers union is supported by Mayor Gray. Business will get done within the D.C. schools. That’s all that is being called for at present. The American public schools lost someone else who could have helped. She had been a good reformer.

Citations

Boston Glove

boston.com/community/blogs/rock_the_schoolhouse/2010/10/_she_will_be_replaced.html

Innovative Education Management, Inc

ieminc.org/