Collaborative Planning For Student Success

This piece written by yours trully appeared in 'Filing Complaints in The Mail' on December 14, 2008‏.

" With support from Mayor Fenty, Chancellor Michelle Rhee is moving onto Plan B, seeking federal emergency legislation to empower the city to bypass collective bargaining and expand nonunion charter schools. The alternative plan consists of a newly-devised teacher evaluation, abolition of teachers’ jobs, and the resurrection of a poorly enforced provision in the current contract allowing administrators to give teachers ninety school days to improve or face dismissal — all objectives of her stalled contract proposal. Parts of the proposed Plan B have already gone into effect. Teachers and administrators report that the city is requiring DC principals to place a quota of teachers on ninety-day plans. Teachers are monitored by their school administrator; if funds are available, a helping teacher is assigned during the evaluation period after which an administrator can recommend termination. This is the first time in years that principals are being told to observe teachers en masse and make decisions on teacher termination by December 5. Principals report being instructed to lie in their “teacher observations” about what is taking place during a structured lesson. One principal at Patterson elementary school resigned in opposition to these unethical practices.

What has been most disappointing for the quota of teachers placed on ninety-day plans is that the school system is still failing miserably to provide many of the promised outside interventions to assist in executing teacher improvement. There is still a lack of helping teachers from the central office and appropriate professional development; local school resources are wholly inadequate and come too little, too late, or never at all. “The Chancellor’s one-dimensional approach to school improvement, simply firing employees, is not working and has created an environment of advantage taking,” said Nathan A. Saunders, WTU General Vice President.

The Chancellor’s top-down management style is creating a situation where many teachers — young and old — will be fired. Many of us do not believe that this approach will lead to better teaching. It seems encouraging to many DC teachers that American Federation of Teachers’ President Randi Weingarten, who recently spoke before a group of union leaders and education policy makers, stated that no educational reform issues should be off the table as long as they are both good for students and fair to teachers. Among the recommendations made by Weingarten include the use of experienced teachers sharing their skills and mentoring teachers experiencing problems and peer review, utilizing some aspects of merit pay in which teachers could earn extra pay when their schools excel, and systemic support for teacher’s professional development and enhanced working conditions.

DC teachers will be working closely with the American Federation of Teachers to design workable solutions to support student instruction and successful teaching, and to provide economic security for its members. We are looking to engage interested parents and community members in a collaborative effort to improve our public schools. If interested, please E-mail your contact information to saveourcounselors@gmail.com. " (Posted by The Washington Teacher)