Last week, we told you about D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s controversial new merit pay plan for teachers, as well as the impressive jump in DCPS test scores, both of which continued to provoke opinion throughout the weekend.
Rhee’s compensation plan, under which teachers could choose to waive seniority and tenure in order to earn significantly higher pay tied to their performance, attracted the attention of both The Economist, which liked the idea, and The Wall Street Journal, where Matt Miller even suggested it was something Obama should get behind.
Locally, DC Teacher Chic blogged that those concerned that teachers giving up tenure will be fired shouldn’t worry:
I could make the argument that such terminations are good for children, which they are, but I have a more persuasive argument. There are scores of charter schools in the city who really hire just about anyone. I once worked at a charter school – and not even one of the worst ones – where I was the only certified teacher! If you happen to be fired in DC, you should count yourself lucky that you live in an area that is saturated with other schools and school systems. There are a ton of fish in this sea, people. A teacher let go from DCPS will not starve.
And while everyone can agree that the rise in District test scores is a good thing, debate continued over who should receive the credit – Rhee, or her predecessor, current Newark superintendent Clifford Janey. Some D.C. principals were quick to salute Rhee’s leadership, while critics argued that the foundation set by Janey was the catalyst (something that Mayor Fenty and Rhee themselves were careful to acknowledge). The Washington Teachers Union issued a press release congratulating its teachers, and The Post summed it all up in an editorial, writing:
The scores had been rising previously, but this year’s gains are dramatic, outpacing the experience of other cities with mayoral control of the schools. So, it was more than ironic — if predictable — to hear criticism that the gains had nothing to do with Ms. Rhee but really were the work of former superintendent Clifford B. Janey. Imagine what these naysayers would have said if the scores had plummeted. We doubt that they would have been looking Mr. Janey’s way. There is no question his reforms were a factor, as was Ms. Rhee’s wise decision to continue them, instead of starting from scratch. Then, too, Ms. Rhee put in place programs to improve test preparation and student participation. What’s really important is what students showed: that they can achieve when their interests are placed first. That’s to everyone’s credit.
Schools Notes: DCPS teacher and rocker Eric Axelson is helped out of a sketchy scene by a fellow “teacher man”… Summer boredom sets in as WJLA complains that school lawns need mowing and Jay Mathews finds a new bone to pick… The Examiner is scolded for its misleading headlines about superintendent salaries… Council member Marion Barry (Ward 8) introduces a confusing charter school bill.
