Ballou HS Rocks the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
The Saturday Morning Post
Earlier this month, we described a new report from a federal court monitor that placed heavy blame on the District for its inability to provide special education services for its nearly 11,000 special needs students. As Post columnist Colbert King put it somewhat dramatically at the time, “the courtroom drama I witnessed this week underscored a sad reality: The one true safeguard between the city's most vulnerable residents and acts of governmental injustice is the black-robed figure in the courthouse.” While we’d like to think that statement veers toward the hyperbolic, court involvement in city administration is nothing new, and neither is what came next – the city official responsible ducking out of the spotlight.
Only about a week after the report’s release, Phyllis Harris, DCPS’s deputy chancellor for special education, took a leave of absence, without giving comment or reason. Dena Iverson, a DCPS spokesperson, did deny an earlier report that had been floating around various teacher blogs that Harris had been fired, but would not comment further. While Harris did not directly manage the District’s response to the court monitoring of special education services, many seem to be holding her responsible, especially as complaints surface that some DCPS schools are still lacking proper special education staffing.
While it’s hard to overstate the difficulties and bureaucratic frustrations involved in special education administration, it’s also true that under the new culture of accountability that Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has worked to initiate, this kind of gross oversight simply mirrors the DCPS of the past. If Harris is taking responsibility for the failures of D.C. special education, that should be made clear, along with plans to address the enormous backlog of special education cases and staffing shortages.
Photo by dullshick
Rhee’s No Monarch: As the D.C. Council resumes session this week, The Washington Times spoke to several council members who plan to make squeezing restructuring details and budget specifics out of Rhee and DCPS facilities chief Alan Lew a priority. The council has been extremely critical in the past of Rhee’s reluctance to seek the council’s approval on details of her plans. Mary Cheh (Ward 3) summed up her views as follows: “It's my job as a council member to exercise oversight. I think I should have the best understanding possible of how money is being used. She has to realize she's not Henry VIII." Rhee, however, told an audience at an Aspen Institute education summit yesterday, “I think if there is one thing I have learned over the last 15 months it's that cooperation, collaboration and consensus-building are way overrated.” (Feel free to leave your beheading jokes in the comments.)
Schools Notes: DCPS ordered to repay federal grant money for migrant students because, well, there aren’t any… Michelle Rhee inspires educators everywhere to eat bugs in front of their students… Not one, but two, NPR interviews about Rhee and DCPS… the Washington Teachers’ Union is holding a contract negotiations informational meeting for all WTU bargaining unit members tonight next Tuesday, September 23rd from 5 – 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the McKinley Technology High School. Perhaps some contract movement is coming?
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“I think if there is one thing I have learned over the last 15 months it's that cooperation, collaboration and consensus-building are way overrated.”
There's a time for strategizing and building support. And there's a time to actually DO something. Otherwise, you end up in a series of circle-jerk meetings and analysis paralysis and playing political football with who serves on what kind of school board and before you know it, you've graduated a whole generation of students who are functionally illiterate or dead.
Lead. Follow. Or get out of the way.
Vote Monkeyrotica für eine bessere Kinderausbildung.
honestly, i was very happy to see that colby king article, if only because it meant a reprieve from him writing EVERY DAMN COLUMN of his about DYRS.
if there was ever someone who qualified as the standard-bearer for the "get off my damn lawn" party, mr. king seems to be clearing the field.
Dcist where did you hear that date for "the Washington Teachers’ Union holding a contract negotiations informational meeting"? I believe the robocall that went out to teachers said tuesday the 23rd, not tonight.
Tmoney, you're right, the meeting is the 23rd. Thank you for catching the error!
A friend of mine who taught special ed for DCPS died suddenly a year ago. During the prior year, he had taken leave under doctor's orders. You wouldn't believe the hell DCPS made for him during that time (the union didn't help much, if at all). I'd love to see someone's head on a platter regarding the special needs mess and I don't care whether it's a scapegoat.
I can believe it.
3 years ago my son had a DCPS teacher (an excellent one at that) that was let go on a red tape technicallity. Thankfully the teacher was restored after many months of petition.
A few years ago, I taught summer school in a DCPS school that had an afternoon program that was funded by something called migrant education. The kids would go on field trips to museums and do other activities. I always wondered what it was, since I knew DC, as well as that school, had no migrant children, like the kind in California or even MD's Eastern Shore. I mentioned that to the teacher, saying there are no migrant children in this program, but she didn't know and just took the kids on educational trips. I always thought it was strange. I guess it finally got discovered.
I think (not sure) the migrant program started in DCPS circa '60s from the CA program you mentioned. I think the Adams building was used at that time for the migrant education program. Sounds like what you found was a carry-over that was lost in the cracks.
Nice. Are they still drawing funds from the Widows and Orphans of Spanish American War Veterans? How about tours of the historic Heurich Brewery or the Manassas Cyclorama?