New D.C. principal’s termination letter from Dallas

[Anonymous]

A 2011 letter recommending the termination of a Dallas school principal who was recently hired by D.C. Public Schools accused her of “unethical and unlawful conduct.” It said that she directed some teachers not to teach science, music and social studies, to falsify grades in those subjects and to focus on math and reading in preparation for standardized testing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/new-dc-principals-termination-letter-from-dallas/2012/02/01/gIQA8npliQ_blog.html

[Anonymous]

There's a difference between a backround investigation and reference checks. I just believe that DCPS has not grasped that concept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a difference between a backround investigation and reference checks. I just believe that DCPS has not grasped that concept.

they could have found out about this with a simple google check. Dallas newspapers reported it.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the DCPS personnel office thought they were getting the former first lady! (I know the first name is spelled a little differently.)

[Anonymous]

DCPS probably knew about it and was psyched. Sad.

[Anonymous]

Falsifying grades is not on, but I can't be the only one who doesn't see a problem with letting elementary school kids skip science, music and social studies until they can actually read and add. It might lead to less frustration when they get to high school....

[Anonymous]

Hate to say it to the parents of these seriously undereducated kids at Garfield, but with scores like these:

MATH: 52.29% below basic 42.20% basic 4.59% proficient 0.92% advanced
READING: 42.20% below basic 47.71% basic 9.17% proficient 0.92% advanced

These kids could stand to skip science and enrichment for a while and learn some reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic.

Too bad not to have science education. But without the ability to read or add, these kids are going to be cut off from the world for the rest of their lives.

Sorry not to be politically correct, but wasn't Garfield rated THE WORST of all DC elementary schools on DC-CAS recently? Time to teach to the test a little, and this lady sounds like the one to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Falsifying grades is not on, but I can't be the only one who doesn't see a problem with letting elementary school kids skip science, music and social studies until they can actually read and add. It might lead to less frustration when they get to high school....

I certainly hope your the only one with this attitude.

Do you think this is a reason to hire her as principal in DCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Do you think this is a reason to hire her as principal in DCPS?

I don't know. How are DCPS middle school math scores these days? Reading comprehension levels? I bet they can all recycle and sing the hell out of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, though....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hate to say it to the parents of these seriously undereducated kids at Garfield, but with scores like these:

MATH: 52.29% below basic 42.20% basic 4.59% proficient 0.92% advanced
READING: 42.20% below basic 47.71% basic 9.17% proficient 0.92% advanced

These kids could stand to skip science and enrichment for a while and learn some reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic.

Too bad not to have science education. But without the ability to read or add, these kids are going to be cut off from the world for the rest of their lives.

Sorry not to be politically correct, but wasn't Garfield rated THE WORST of all DC elementary schools on DC-CAS recently? Time to teach to the test a little, and this lady sounds like the one to do it.

You must go to Janney!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hate to say it to the parents of these seriously undereducated kids at Garfield, but with scores like these:

MATH: 52.29% below basic 42.20% basic 4.59% proficient 0.92% advanced
READING: 42.20% below basic 47.71% basic 9.17% proficient 0.92% advanced

These kids could stand to skip science and enrichment for a while and learn some reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic.

Too bad not to have science education. But without the ability to read or add, these kids are going to be cut off from the world for the rest of their lives.

Sorry not to be politically correct, but wasn't Garfield rated THE WORST of all DC elementary schools on DC-CAS recently? Time to teach to the test a little, and this lady sounds like the one to do it.

are you endorsing teaching to the test, then, and suggesting that falsifying grades for non-offered science and music classes should be acceptable in DCPS?

WOuldn't it be better to offer these kids intensive reading instruction some other way - in pre-school perhaps?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hate to say it to the parents of these seriously undereducated kids at Garfield, but with scores like these:

MATH: 52.29% below basic 42.20% basic 4.59% proficient 0.92% advanced
READING: 42.20% below basic 47.71% basic 9.17% proficient 0.92% advanced

These kids could stand to skip science and enrichment for a while and learn some reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic.

Too bad not to have science education. But without the ability to read or add, these kids are going to be cut off from the world for the rest of their lives.

Sorry not to be politically correct, but wasn't Garfield rated THE WORST of all DC elementary schools on DC-CAS recently? Time to teach to the test a little, and this lady sounds like the one to do it.

Try to read this sentence and pretend you've never learned anything about science or social studies:
Penicillin was discovered sixty-three years after the end of the US Civil War.

Learning how to read isn't all about sounding out letters and words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Try to read this sentence and pretend you've never learned anything about science or social studies:
Penicillin was discovered sixty-three years after the end of the US Civil War.

Knowing the significance of penicillin or the date the US Civil war ended is not going to do you much good if you can neither decode the words of that sentence nor do the math to draw a logical conclusion from it. Everything elementary school kids are taught about history, biology, civics, and the arts will be taught again, in greater depth, in middle and high school. Fat lot of good it will do them if they haven't been grounded in reading and math. It's called "putting the cart in front of the horse"....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Try to read this sentence and pretend you've never learned anything about science or social studies:
Penicillin was discovered sixty-three years after the end of the US Civil War.

Knowing the significance of penicillin or the date the US Civil war ended is not going to do you much good if you can neither decode the words of that sentence nor do the math to draw a logical conclusion from it. Everything elementary school kids are taught about history, biology, civics, and the arts will be taught again, in greater depth, in middle and high school. Fat lot of good it will do them if they haven't been grounded in reading and math. It's called "putting the cart in front of the horse"....

If you think the problem is all about decoding, you're confused. Go volunteer in one of the schools and you will see many students' decoding skills are fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Try to read this sentence and pretend you've never learned anything about science or social studies:
Penicillin was discovered sixty-three years after the end of the US Civil War.

Knowing the significance of penicillin or the date the US Civil war ended is not going to do you much good if you can neither decode the words of that sentence nor do the math to draw a logical conclusion from it. Everything elementary school kids are taught about history, biology, civics, and the arts will be taught again, in greater depth, in middle and high school. Fat lot of good it will do them if they haven't been grounded in reading and math. It's called "putting the cart in front of the horse"....

Are you suggesting that this fired principal's formula for raising reading scores should be adopted in DCPS?

It's times like this that I think the poster must be DCPS staff. It's hard to believe a parent would think this was a good idea.