Anonymous wrote:What happened with Luke C Moore? She seemed to be a highly regarded principal. (Although I was never impressed with her in person.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's that time of year again when DC schools approaches its final days as the school year comes to an end. Some principals have already faced principal terminations or if you prefer a nice way of saying their contract was not-renewed. Some leave before they get the axe and of course some leave for greener pastures because they know their shelf-life as a principal is soon coming to an end.

Principal churn in DC Public Schools leaves many of us questioning exactly what is the criteria for not renewing a principal's contract? Parents and community members don't always agree with Chancellor Henderson's guidelines for termination. One thing for sure the principal shuffle has not helped student achievement in our district.

According to a source who shall remain anonymous, here's the list of 26 DC's School leadership changes for school year 2015-16. It is reported that four more schools may be added later.


Schools
Aiton ES
Bancroft ES
Brookland EC (will be known as Bunker Hill ES in 15/16)
Bruce Monroe ES
Dunbar SHS
Hendley ES
Janney ES
Johnson MS
Kelly Miller MS
ML King ES
Kramer MS
Luke C. Moore Academy SHS
Malcolm X ES
Mamie D. Lee (consolidating school)
Payne ES
Peabody ES/Watkins ES
Powell ES
Roosevelt SHS
Sharpe Health (consolidating school)
Shepherd ES
Simon ES
Smothers ES
Thomas ES
Washington Metropolitan HS
West EC
Wilson SHS

At what point might they add the other 4 schools? The principals' contracts end June 26th, I believe, with new principals starting June 29th.

Principal Churn 2014
?Eric Bethel – Turner Elementary School
?Lloyd Bryant – Anacostia High School
?Charlette Butler – Hart Middle School
?Donyale Butler – Savoy Elementary School
?Heather Hairston – C.W. Harris Elementary School
?Katie Larkin – H.D. Cooke Elementary School
?Katie Lundgren – Marie Reed Elementary School
?Jennifer Thomas – Hearst Elementary School
?Debra Bell – Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
?Carrie Broquard – Lafayette Elementary School
?Mayra Canizales – Oyster-Adams Bilingual School
?La’Mont Geddis – Malcolm X Elementary School
?Jennifer Jo Huff – Plummer Elementary School
?Carolyn Jackson-King – Orr Elementary School
?Kemi Husbands – Langdon Education Campus
?Elizabeth Namba – Hyde-Addison Elementary School
?John Payne – Duke Ellington School of the Arts
?Yetunde Reeves – Ballou High School
?Kim Spence – Simon Elementary School
?Gary Washington – C.H.O.I.C.E. Academy
?Eugenia Young – Roosevelt STAY

Principal churn 2013
Bancroft Elementary
Brightwood Education Campus
Browne Education Campus
Burroughs Education Campus
Coolidge Senior High
Drew Elementary
Houston Elementary
Ketcham Elementary
Kimball Elementary
aSalle-Backus Education Campus
Langley Elementary
Leckie Elementary
McKinley Tech Senior High
Nalle Elementary
Orr Elementary
J. O. Wilson Elementary

Principal churn 2012
Aiton Elementary School
Ballou STAY High School
Brookland Education Campus at Bunker Hill*
Browne Education Campus*
Cardozo Senior High School
Alice Deal Middle School**
Garfield Elementary School
Garrison Elementary School
Langdon Education Campus*
Moten Elementary School
Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School
Prospect Learning Center
Seaton Elementary School
Shaw Middle School
Walker-Jones Education Campus
Washington Metropolitan High School
Winston Education Campus
H.D. Woodson Senior High School

Principal from VA. Be afraid, be very afraid. This only covers 4 years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's that time of year again when DC schools approaches its final days as the school year comes to an end. Some principals have already faced principal terminations or if you prefer a nice way of saying their contract was not-renewed. Some leave before they get the axe and of course some leave for greener pastures because they know their shelf-life as a principal is soon coming to an end.

Principal churn in DC Public Schools leaves many of us questioning exactly what is the criteria for not renewing a principal's contract? Parents and community members don't always agree with Chancellor Henderson's guidelines for termination. One thing for sure the principal shuffle has not helped student achievement in our district.

According to a source who shall remain anonymous, here's the list of 26 DC's School leadership changes for school year 2015-16. It is reported that four more schools may be added later.


Schools
Aiton ES
Bancroft ES
Brookland EC (will be known as Bunker Hill ES in 15/16)
Bruce Monroe ES
Dunbar SHS
Hendley ES
Janney ES
Johnson MS
Kelly Miller MS
ML King ES
Kramer MS
Luke C. Moore Academy SHS
Malcolm X ES
Mamie D. Lee (consolidating school)
Payne ES
Peabody ES/Watkins ES
Powell ES
Roosevelt SHS
Sharpe Health (consolidating school)
Shepherd ES
Simon ES
Smothers ES
Thomas ES
Washington Metropolitan HS
West EC
Wilson SHS

At what point might they add the other 4 schools? The principals' contracts end June 26th, I believe, with new principals starting June 29th.

Principal Churn 2014
?Eric Bethel – Turner Elementary School
?Lloyd Bryant – Anacostia High School
?Charlette Butler – Hart Middle School
?Donyale Butler – Savoy Elementary School
?Heather Hairston – C.W. Harris Elementary School
?Katie Larkin – H.D. Cooke Elementary School
?Katie Lundgren – Marie Reed Elementary School
?Jennifer Thomas – Hearst Elementary School
?Debra Bell – Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
?Carrie Broquard – Lafayette Elementary School
?Mayra Canizales – Oyster-Adams Bilingual School
?La’Mont Geddis – Malcolm X Elementary School
?Jennifer Jo Huff – Plummer Elementary School
?Carolyn Jackson-King – Orr Elementary School
?Kemi Husbands – Langdon Education Campus
?Elizabeth Namba – Hyde-Addison Elementary School
?John Payne – Duke Ellington School of the Arts
?Yetunde Reeves – Ballou High School
?Kim Spence – Simon Elementary School
?Gary Washington – C.H.O.I.C.E. Academy
?Eugenia Young – Roosevelt STAY

Principal churn 2013
Bancroft Elementary
Brightwood Education Campus
Browne Education Campus
Burroughs Education Campus
Coolidge Senior High
Drew Elementary
Houston Elementary
Ketcham Elementary
Kimball Elementary
aSalle-Backus Education Campus
Langley Elementary
Leckie Elementary
McKinley Tech Senior High
Nalle Elementary
Orr Elementary
J. O. Wilson Elementary

Principal churn 2012
Aiton Elementary School
Ballou STAY High School
Brookland Education Campus at Bunker Hill*
Browne Education Campus*
Cardozo Senior High School
Alice Deal Middle School**
Garfield Elementary School
Garrison Elementary School
Langdon Education Campus*
Moten Elementary School
Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School
Prospect Learning Center
Seaton Elementary School
Shaw Middle School
Walker-Jones Education Campus
Washington Metropolitan High School
Winston Education Campus
H.D. Woodson Senior High School

Principal from VA. Be afraid, be very afraid. This only covers 4 years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's that time of year again when DC schools approaches its final days as the school year comes to an end. Some principals have already faced principal terminations or if you prefer a nice way of saying their contract was not-renewed. Some leave before they get the axe and of course some leave for greener pastures because they know their shelf-life as a principal is soon coming to an end.

Principal churn in DC Public Schools leaves many of us questioning exactly what is the criteria for not renewing a principal's contract? Parents and community members don't always agree with Chancellor Henderson's guidelines for termination. One thing for sure the principal shuffle has not helped student achievement in our district.

According to a source who shall remain anonymous, here's the list of 26 DC's School leadership changes for school year 2015-16. It is reported that four more schools may be added later.


Schools
Aiton ES
Bancroft ES
Brookland EC (will be known as Bunker Hill ES in 15/16)
Bruce Monroe ES
Dunbar SHS
Hendley ES
Janney ES
Johnson MS
Kelly Miller MS
ML King ES
Kramer MS
Luke C. Moore Academy SHS
Malcolm X ES
Mamie D. Lee (consolidating school)
Payne ES
Peabody ES/Watkins ES
Powell ES
Roosevelt SHS
Sharpe Health (consolidating school)
Shepherd ES
Simon ES
Smothers ES
Thomas ES
Washington Metropolitan HS
West EC
Wilson SHS

At what point might they add the other 4 schools? The principals' contracts end June 26th, I believe, with new principals starting June 29th.

Anonymous wrote:"And if there is a vacancy, no dear, I'm not interested in hiring my family members. What I do want is to be able to hire a really AMAZING teacher to fill that vacancy. What I don't want is someone from central office to say that a current DCPS teacher from another school has rights to transfer into that vacancy and that I have to take that transfer."


Actually, you are misinformed. If there's a vacancy at your school you can hire the person YOU think is right. DCPS does not push transfers on the principals.

I am a DCPS teacher and I have worked on the Personnel Committee at my school for many years. We've interviewed transfers AND outside candidates. However, the outside candidate must clear preliminary DCPS screening before their resume is uploaded to the system.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the biggest issue standing in the way of finding and retaining quality principals?

I'm a District resident who is a principal in Virginia. I'd love to work in DC, but that union contract scares the daylights out of me. Our teacher contract is one-page, front and back. In DC, it's pages and pages and pages long. The notion that I would have to move a mountain to get rid of an incompetent teacher is not a battle I want to fight. And then if there is a vacancy, there is a senority system in place where others could get the job over a candidate that I would want. I'm not saying that I can or should be able fire teachers at the drop of a hat (for things other than really obvious offenses like showing up drunk.) But I have to know that with appropriate documentation, I have the backing from central office to get rid of incompetence. Right now I don't have faith that such a scenario would take place.

Really? Your desire to be able to fire a teacher at the drop of a hat is the only thing keeping you from DCPS? Then stay very far away.

1. One thing DC has no shortage of is AMAZING teachers. That is the one thing they've gotten right over the years. I suspect part of the problem is that the teachers are of such a high caliber that it raises the bar for leadership. It's the TEACHERS who've been leaving in droves. They're a talented pool who can get jobs elsewhere. (The teachers leave; principals are fired.)
2. You seem to have the systems backwards. Seniority counts in Va. It is in Va that principals must document, document, document to have a teacher fired. And what's wrong with that? You should have to show cause before firing someone. Otherwise, I'm out of a job because you want to hire your girlfriend or brother-in-law. Damned the fact that I'm more competent.
3. I have a hard time believing you're a principal. With all the issues around the achievement gap, your greatest concern is being able to fire teachers? I really don't think you're someone DCPS needs. You sound like exactly the type of principal they're getting rid of-power-tripping anti-teachers who worry about the wrong thing.

Sorry to disappoint, but I am a principal. And I am very concerned about the achievement gap. I want the very best teachers in my school and in every school. If I walk in and there's an incompetent teacher who isn't performing and has no business working with children, then I want to be able to get rid of that teacher. I will do the documentation. If a teacher has great relationships with the students and colleagues and parents, plans and executes engaging lessons and demonstrates high levels of learning, then that's fabulous! I will do whatever it takes to keep that teacher.

And if there is a vacancy, no dear, I'm not interested in hiring my family members. What I do want is to be able to hire a really AMAZING teacher to fill that vacancy. What I don't want is someone from central office to say that a current DCPS teacher from another school has rights to transfer into that vacancy and that I have to take that transfer.

I'm quite familiar how things work in Virginia, thank you. I'm not sure where you picked up that I don't mind documenting to get rid of an incompetent teacher. I don't believe any principal should be able to fire a teacher at the drop of a hat. I shouldn't do all the documentation to get rid of an incompetent teacher THEN have someone from central office undermine that by not backing me up. Maybe try reading a little closer next time.

Are you the poster who complains about the principal at West ES?