Are you voting for Fenty or Gray?

[Anonymous]

You started out giving teachers all the blame as the adults - now you're spreading it out.

Of course there are some bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, etc. but I maintain that a focus on firing bad teachers is not going to solve the problems in DC education, any more than firing doctors would help find a cure for cancer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Non DC resident fly on the wall here. But do you really think you will see significant improvement in DCPS with Gray as mayor (regardless of what happens to Rhee). I'm really curious. What do you envision DCPS looking like in 4 years after a Gray term? What will the average DCPS experienced in four years?

Please do not talk about Fenty. I want to know about DCPS under a Gray term when you look back at his legacy.

Forgive me if I get pedantic, but as a non-DC resident I'm going to assume you don't know much about our school system (don't be offended - it's shocking how many DC residents don't know much about our school system).

Many people seem to be under the impression that DCPS has been a mess for decades and that Michelle Rhee - single-handedly and through sheer force of will - has managed to turn this ship around. Now, I will grant that the first part is true. However, this mayoral term marks the first time that the authority to make changes on behalf of the entire DCPS has been vested in the power of one office - the Chancellor of schools. Up until now, the DC School Board has had this power. The DC School Board was an elected body and it was famously subject to political pressure and union pressure, the result being patronage positions, poor administration, lack of accountability, etc. etc. etc. Under this mayor, legislation was passed (supported by Vincent Gray btw, and furthermore not originally support by the current mayor) which abolished the DC School Board and moved both responsibility and authority under the role of Chancellor, which was a position to be appointed by the mayor and subject to Council approval. The beauty of this arrangement is that it rests the authority in one office, and relieves the political pressure of caving to special interests. It was a wise move.

IIRC the Council was never allowed to approve the appointment (though they probably would have) and the hiring of the new Chancellor was presented as a fait accompli. This unnecessarily got the relationship off on the wrong foot. Tensions have escalated ever since.

Now, I won't dwell on the past but it's important that you understand this piece of it in order to understand the choices in front of Gray. He will NOT abolish the position of Chancellor and return us to the days of the elected DC School Board. Like the previous mayor, he has a wonderful opportunity to effect positive changes in the DC public school system. There are many things about the system that could use changing, such as training and staff development, curriculum development, and creating a system where parents and teachers are supported in their effort to educate children. His selection of Chancellor will be an important one, because who he chooses will have enormous power - power previously unavailable in the system, with the exception of Michelle Rhee. I do not know who he will choose. He likely does not yet know himself although I understand he has had a meeting with Janey.

He will want to see improvement in the schools - we all do. He should understand that you can't fire your way to excellence, at some point you have to respect the teachers you're entrusting the students to and provide them with the training and tools they need to succeed. Experienced teachers are better teachers than TFA teachers, that's a fact. We need to invest in professional educators who will continue to support our children and not leave after their 2 years are up.

He will also stop the stranglehold which the current mayor has tried to place on charter schools. There are some excellent charter schools in this city and we should be trying to learn from them instead of killing them off to force people back into DCPS.

He is very good at being thorough and creating consensus - and that's something we need so that we all (parents, teachers, principals) are on the same page to support our students and their education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You started out giving teachers all the blame as the adults - now you're spreading it out.

Of course there are some bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, etc. but I maintain that a focus on firing bad teachers is not going to solve the problems in DC education, any more than firing doctors would help find a cure for cancer

No one is placing all of the blame on the teachers. But the teachers must bear some of the blame!! A failure to place any blame on teachers reflects the type of attitude that created the current situation. "Don't blame me. Blame them" Firing bad teachers is, of course, not the only thing that needs to be done, but it certainly must be part of the equation. Firing bad teachers not only gets rid of some bad teachers but sends a powerful message to the rest of the teachers that there will be some accountability. The more appropriate analogy is that a few high profile judgments against doctors sends a signal to the other doctors that they will be held responsible for their incompetent decisions and that they need to step up to the plate. The WP had a good commentary this am in the Metro Section, I believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Now, I won't dwell on the past but it's important that you understand this piece of it in order to understand the choices in front of Gray. He will NOT abolish the position of Chancellor and return us to the days of the elected DC School Board. Like the previous mayor, he has a wonderful opportunity to effect positive changes in the DC public school system.

Yep, I was quite upset when Fenty announced he would take over the school system just after he won the Democratic primary and in effect the mayor's office. I wasn't necessarily opposed to it but I wanted him to make an adequate case for it and a) I don't think he did and b) I think we should have had the chance to vote on this in the Democratic primary.

However, I have become convinced that this was a good idea and that the right person in the Chancellor job has the opportunity to have a positive impact on DC schools. Unfortunately, Michelle Rhee is not the right person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You started out giving teachers all the blame as the adults - now you're spreading it out.

Of course there are some bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, etc. but I maintain that a focus on firing bad teachers is not going to solve the problems in DC education, any more than firing doctors would help find a cure for cancer

No one is placing all of the blame on the teachers. But the teachers must bear some of the blame!! A failure to place any blame on teachers reflects the type of attitude that created the current situation. "Don't blame me. Blame them" Firing bad teachers is, of course, not the only thing that needs to be done, but it certainly must be part of the equation. Firing bad teachers not only gets rid of some bad teachers but sends a powerful message to the rest of the teachers that there will be some accountability. The more appropriate analogy is that a few high profile judgments against doctors sends a signal to the other doctors that they will be held responsible for their incompetent decisions and that they need to step up to the plate. The WP had a good commentary this am in the Metro Section, I believe.

Too bad there's not a good mechanism for high profile judgments against lawyers...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You started out giving teachers all the blame as the adults - now you're spreading it out.

Of course there are some bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, etc. but I maintain that a focus on firing bad teachers is not going to solve the problems in DC education, any more than firing doctors would help find a cure for cancer

Hey, genius: If all of the doctors in DC were employed by the DC government, and we had the worst doctors in the country, we'd fire them. Or at least I would, or I'd vote the mayor who tried to. Try harder the next time you want to play "analogy".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You started out giving teachers all the blame as the adults - now you're spreading it out.

Of course there are some bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, etc. but I maintain that a focus on firing bad teachers is not going to solve the problems in DC education, any more than firing doctors would help find a cure for cancer

Hey, genius: If all of the doctors in DC were employed by the DC government, and we had the worst doctors in the country, we'd fire them. Or at least I would, or I'd vote the mayor who tried to. Try harder the next time you want to play "analogy".

What's the matter with you? Not even Michelle Rhee would claim that DC has the worst teachers in the country. On the contrary, there are some extraordinary teachers in DC who have done wonderful things against the odds, and certainly without the appreciation of people like you. A school system that isn't working isn't solely the fault of the teachers, there are lots of other variables in the mix. It's time to look to some of them for improvement.

Maybe knock that chip off your shoulder? It's so large it's disfiguring. It's making you ugly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You started out giving teachers all the blame as the adults - now you're spreading it out.

Of course there are some bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, etc. but I maintain that a focus on firing bad teachers is not going to solve the problems in DC education, any more than firing doctors would help find a cure for cancer

Bad teachers as well as bad administrators should be canned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You started out giving teachers all the blame as the adults - now you're spreading it out.

Of course there are some bad teachers, just as there are bad doctors, etc. but I maintain that a focus on firing bad teachers is not going to solve the problems in DC education, any more than firing doctors would help find a cure for cancer

Hey, genius: If all of the doctors in DC were employed by the DC government, and we had the worst doctors in the country, we'd fire them. Or at least I would, or I'd vote the mayor who tried to. Try harder the next time you want to play "analogy".

What's the matter with you? Not even Michelle Rhee would claim that DC has the worst teachers in the country. On the contrary, there are some extraordinary teachers in DC who have done wonderful things against the odds, and certainly without the appreciation of people like you. A school system that isn't working isn't solely the fault of the teachers, there are lots of other variables in the mix. It's time to look to some of them for improvement.

Maybe knock that chip off your shoulder? It's so large it's disfiguring. It's making you ugly.

Rephrase: If all of the doctors, nurses and hospital administrators worked for the DC government, and DC had the worst medical care in the country, I would fire all the doctors, nurses and hospital administrators as I could find. Sure, I'd try to start some campaigns to get parents to stop feeding their kids the Twinkies, but I'd purge the deadwood as quick as I could, or I would vote for the only mayor who has ever had the courage to do so.

And that is why Fenty will be our mayor come November 2.

[Anonymous]

Experienced teachers are better teachers than TFA teachers, that's a fact. We need to invest in professional educators who will continue to support our children and not leave after their 2 years are up.

Lets see, in my 10 years involved in DCPS, as parent and teacher, I've seen the following by experienced teachers:
-black teachers using white racial slurs directed at the white TFA teachers
-not knowing how many states there are in the country
-that W is a vowel, because it's "double U"
-using and writing with extremely terrible grammar
-not knowing how to teach decimals
-not knowing how to use a computer
-teaching the exact same way for 30+ years

I could go on and on with stories. Sad, sad stories.

Whereas, in my experience with TFA teachers, I have seen students learn more quickly, in innovative ways that students need to learn, and with dedicated hard working teachers who gave morning, evening and weekends to these students. I've witnessed TFA teachers work hard at getting students into charter schools and scholarships to private schools because there school was failing them so heavily--due to current teachers, principals and facilities. My goodness, I would take a TFA teacher any day of the week over a DC "experienced" teacher.

[Anonymous]

A good teacher can teach children regardless of the politics around her. But if my child had not learn to read on time I would have certainly wanted a teacher fired for not teaching and the principal fired for not getting rid of a teacher that cannot teach. Teachers need to be held accountable just like people in any other job. All principals need the power to hire and fire.

[Anonymous]

Whoop! There it is . . .

[Anonymous]

You vote for Fenty or you can kiss school reform goodbye. It is that simple!! Gray is being actively supported by the historic educational establishment in DC that is directly responsible for the mess. Spending time listening to the system's views and massaging their egos does nothing to educate DC youth. The sole focus should be on reforming the system as fast as possible. Every day that passes by means that DC youth are not receiving the education they deserve. No this does not mean that DC does not have some excellend teachers.