Michelle Rhee quits from D.C. Schools

Rather than face off with a new mayor who likely won’t support her ideas about education reform, Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools has chosen to resign. According to the Boston Globe, Michelle Rhee’s resignation had been a “mutual” decision made by herself and newly elected Mayor Vincent Gray. Rhee’s term could be served until at least the end of the current school year by Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson, suggests the Washington Post.

Rhee questioned the teachers’ union

Before Michele Rhee showed up, the District of Columbia public schools always had very low test scores. Educational facilities got much better with Rhee working to them. She made sure teachers either started to do much better or got fired. The amount of teacher firings in Washington, D.C., schools earned Rhee numerous enemies, primarily those who supported the teachers’ union and tenure system. The school systems got used to the teachers that were there for more than three years. It’s this that the Innovative Education Management explains. Firing under-performing, tenured teachers required a large burden of proof. A lot of the teachers did not worry about putting forth effort within the classroom. This was because there was a significant amount of job security for them.

It seems that ‘Unions can smell blood’

Kaya Henderson could be in charge of the schools now that Rhee has resigned. She is going to have for making sure and keep up the tough act. ”The unions can smell blood,” though. This is what the Globe explains. Henderson is expected to be “gone by Christmas.” Also, tenure will continue and all the teaching talent in the D.C. public schools will probably go elsewhere in the near future.

The investment plans that foundations made giving the D.C. educational facilities fast money because Michelle Rhee had been there will probably all be changed. D.C. Schools might be on the road to recovery, however some critics say even Rhee’s drive and focus were unable to produce results, and if Rhee can’t do it, who can? Mayor Gray supports the D.C. teachers union which means anybody who wants an education reform might not see it. D.C. educational facilities are being told to be more about getting stuff done. The American public schools lost another person who could have helped. She had been a good reformer.

Citations

Boston Glove

boston.com/community/blogs/rock_the_schoolhouse/2010/10/_she_will_be_replaced.html

Innovative Education Management, Inc

ieminc.org/