WTF is happening at HARDY??????????

[Anonymous]

I don't get the issue about central office people being worried about Henderson's role. How does the quality of work depend on one's feelings about their service viv-s-vis the Chancellor? Isn't the definition of integrity what a person does when nobody is watching?

[Anonymous]

vis-a-vis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the issue about central office people being worried about Henderson's role. How does the quality of work depend on one's feelings about their service viv-s-vis the Chancellor? Isn't the definition of integrity what a person does when nobody is watching?

Did someone say it affects the quality of work? I can see how it would have a negative impact on morale, and the two may be linked, but they're not the same thing.

My impression would be that if you don't know who is going to be in charge of an organization in 6 months, or 1 year, or 2 years, it has a very limiting effect on the ability make strategic plans and align resources and work priorities with long term goals. That, in and of itself, would decrease the quality of work overall, but I don't think that can be laid at the feet of the employees. It belongs to those who are not making the strategic decisions and communicating them effectively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the issue about central office people being worried about Henderson's role. How does the quality of work depend on one's feelings about their service viv-s-vis the Chancellor? Isn't the definition of integrity what a person does when nobody is watching?

Did someone say it affects the quality of work? I can see how it would have a negative impact on morale, and the two may be linked, but they're not the same thing.

My impression would be that if you don't know who is going to be in charge of an organization in 6 months, or 1 year, or 2 years, it has a very limiting effect on the ability make strategic plans and align resources and work priorities with long term goals. That, in and of itself, would decrease the quality of work overall, but I don't think that can be laid at the feet of the employees. It belongs to those who are not making the strategic decisions and communicating them effectively.

THis logic applies to anyone who works for a political appointee - also to civil servants around election time.

Maybe some Rhee hires figured they'd have a pretty secure job for 8 years of the Fenty Administration and would be writing their own ticket based on the success of DC school reform.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work at Central and let me tell you, its a pathetic place right now. Everybody is afraid of losing their job, hence nothing is on target these days. Vince Gray really needs to make up his mind and cut the strings sooner then later because the city's kids are suffering from the ambiguity of whether Kaya Henderson is going to stick around.

Keep Kaya - she's doing a good job. Between the Rhee-haters, the Rhee-formers, and the bad economy, she is doing as good a job as anyone can do.

Everyone at Central is afraid of loosing their job and things are off target? In a parallel world, people afraid of losing their job are more on target. Also, since an 18 year old will average eight jobs in their adult life, getting a job at Central does not mean a contract for lifetime employment - DCPS should not (continue to) operate as a safe harbor of employment.

The interactions I have with Central these days are uneven. Lots and lots of Central staff are amazing and they are doing the lord's work. Others offices at Central are staffed with wimpy and ineffective desk jockeys. The only difference between now and then is that almost all of Central used to be crappy at best and criminal at worst, now Central has a fair number of hard-working professionals doing great work under trying circumstances.

The big issues at Central are budget related and they drive everything. Vince Gray coming up with 75 million in this year's budget and 400 million (or more) in next year's budget is almost everything. There is immense pressure on DCPS and with complaints from every stakeholder, Central is being asked to do the impossible. Whatever is, or is not, happening at Hardy is a sideshow. This year, like last, students at Hardy will do better than 11 of the (approx) 14 middle schools. Other middle schools, some with proficiency rates of 20%, are going to have to do more with even less. Hearing someone at Central complain about the discomfort of transition verges on obscene when you look at how much the system has failed children and how much needs to be done with scarce resources.

[Anonymous]

Morale is terribly low and the leadership in certain divisions is poor to put it mildly. Central Office to the outsider is opaque, but its only when you are inside that you realize how messed up it is.
Most new employees possess pedigreed degress, but the pathetic pace of Central is an example as to why we should not take those things into consideration. This also contributes to low morale because you have a bunch of brilliant people spinning their wheels.

Kaya is definitely nicer and less arrogant than Michelle but they are one and the same. They were and continue to be extremely close. Their offices were RIGHT NEXT to each other. Do you really think that Kaya was removed from the decision making in regards to getting rid of Pope at Hardy? Do you think she's somebody new and just learned about Friends of Bedford in regards to Dunbar? I'm surprised that the public thinks its okay for them to make mistakes of such magnitude (and $$$$) and still allow them to be at the helm.

Jesus people. I'm surprised that with all the interest and taxpayer money going into DCPS that our constituents don't demand more transparency. All you do is rely on Bill Turque who only chips away at the surface. Has anybody created a FOIA to get information about contracts and who these multi million dollar contracts are awarded to? Exactly who do those strange named LLC's belong to?

Maybe Central has come really far from what it was 4 years ago, but its still the Wild Wild West.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I work at Central and let me tell you, its a pathetic place right now. Everybody is afraid of losing their job, hence nothing is on target these days. Vince Gray really needs to make up his mind and cut the strings sooner then later because the city's kids are suffering from the ambiguity of whether Kaya Henderson is going to stick around.

Keep Kaya - she's doing a good job. Between the Rhee-haters, the Rhee-formers, and the bad economy, she is doing as good a job as anyone can do.

Everyone at Central is afraid of loosing their job and things are off target? In a parallel world, people afraid of losing their job are more on target. Also, since an 18 year old will average eight jobs in their adult life, getting a job at Central does not mean a contract for lifetime employment - DCPS should not (continue to) operate as a safe harbor of employment.

The interactions I have with Central these days are uneven. Lots and lots of Central staff are amazing and they are doing the lord's work. Others offices at Central are staffed with wimpy and ineffective desk jockeys. The only difference between now and then is that almost all of Central used to be crappy at best and criminal at worst, now Central has a fair number of hard-working professionals doing great work under trying circumstances.

The big issues at Central are budget related and they drive everything. Vince Gray coming up with 75 million in this year's budget and 400 million (or more) in next year's budget is almost everything. There is immense pressure on DCPS and with complaints from every stakeholder, Central is being asked to do the impossible. Whatever is, or is not, happening at Hardy is a sideshow. This year, like last, students at Hardy will do better than 11 of the (approx) 14 middle schools. Other middle schools, some with proficiency rates of 20%, are going to have to do more with even less. Hearing someone at Central complain about the discomfort of transition verges on obscene when you look at how much the system has failed children and how much needs to be done with scarce resources.

[Anonymous]

Good point. I REALLY want someone to look into the DCPS contract with Wireless Generation for data-driven assesments like DIBELS, intervention programs like Burst, and lots and lots of teacher training on their software.

Also interesting to note that our new Superintendent of the State Board of Education appointed by Gray is Hossana Mahaley who was ( is? ) and Executive Director with this company.

http://www.ednews.org/articles/education-leader-hosanna-mahaley-johnson-joins-wireless-generation.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good point. I REALLY want someone to look into the DCPS contract with Wireless Generation for data-driven assesments like DIBELS, intervention programs like Burst, and lots and lots of teacher training on their software.

Also interesting to note that our new Superintendent of the State Board of Education appointed by Gray is Hossana Mahaley who was ( is? ) and Executive Director with this company.

http://www.ednews.org/articles/education-leader-hosanna-mahaley-johnson-joins-wireless-generation.html

I thought this is exactly what a REPORTER on a NEWSPAPER like the WaPo was supposed to do - get off their asses and develop sources, make FOIAs and do research to provide us with in depth NEWS, not columns and articles based on rewriting press releases that come in to the reporter by fax or email. What parent has the time to sit around making FOIA requests to figure out what is going on in their school system (let alone pay for the copying of FOIA docs)???!

[Anonymous]

Well apparently Bill Turque has gone to the other side. Did you read his fawning article about Kaya today?
Hmphf!