And the Award Goes To: Bill Myers, Staff Writer for the Washington Examiner
"Here's to a real DC journalist dealing with covering the news on public education reform in DC and not sweeping it under the rug. " The Washington Teacher
Although it is reported that DC's Shadd Transition Academy has improved since the beginning of the school year, some are not so happy about Bill Myer's recent DC Examiner coverage which outlines a chronology of horrors in three Examiner articles. As you may recall this special education program was under the direction of Dr. Phyllis Harris, DC Deputy Superintendent for Special Education who was hired by the Rhee administration from Oakland, California. Many soon learned that Dr. Harris had her own share of problems even as an administrator in Oakland public schools. As reported first on The Washington Teacher blog, Dr. Harris allegedly got the boot from the Rhee administraton during the fall of 2008 , according to inside sources.
The Washington Teacher covered a piece titled: "SOS - DC Shadd Center: A Wholly Mess" on October 9, 2008. This entry was a follow up to "NO Special Education Teacher For You." A DC teacher colleague sent me an email regarding some of the problems at this self-contained warehouse for students diagnosed with emotional disturbances. I also talked with other un-named sources. I reported that there was a significant teacher and service provider shortage at Shadd with morale problems and many safety concerns for both students and staff. In addition, sources acknowledged that DC's central office administrative staff were deployed to Shadd due to teacher vacancies . DC teachers also complained that some staff were placed at Shadd outside of their area of certification .
Unfortunately, what many fail to realize is that DC special education centers like Shadd are just the tip of the iceberg with what's wrong in special education in the District of Columbia Public Schools . This year many of Dr. Harris' newly created special education programs even like the one where I work in S.E. were poorly designed from the outset. Not only did many of these programs lack a written model of service delivery, they also lacked the necessary certified special education teachers and related school personnel and the program resources, professional development that came too little too late and out of control students who present discipline and safety issues that contribute to high turnover rates of inadequately trained teachers and para-professional assistants. Many of these newer programs rarely receive the 'promised assistance' from central Office special education managers. Local school principals that house some of these special programs often have to supplement their limited school resources .
Unfortunately, what many fail to realize is that DC special education centers like Shadd are just the tip of the iceberg with what's wrong in special education in the District of Columbia Public Schools . This year many of Dr. Harris' newly created special education programs even like the one where I work in S.E. were poorly designed from the outset. Not only did many of these programs lack a written model of service delivery, they also lacked the necessary certified special education teachers and related school personnel and the program resources, professional development that came too little too late and out of control students who present discipline and safety issues that contribute to high turnover rates of inadequately trained teachers and para-professional assistants. Many of these newer programs rarely receive the 'promised assistance' from central Office special education managers. Local school principals that house some of these special programs often have to supplement their limited school resources .
Here's to DC teachers and related service providers who stayed put in some of the worst special education programs and try to 'wing it' on their own without the resources they need despite Chancellor Rhee's daily regimen of teacher bashing . There is no apology that can compensate our DC parents for the types of atrocities that occurred at Shadd and other special education programs serving the E.D. (emotionally disturbed) population. Here's Bill Myer's most recent April 14th article titled:
Council woman challenges Rhee on special-ed ‘disaster
"An Examiner investigation published Monday revealed a host of problems in the planning and opening of Marion P. Shadd Elementary School in Southeast D.C. A D.C. councilwoman Monday pressed Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee to explain what went wrong in her attempt to create a special school for the city’s most troubled kids.
Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3, said Rhee should give a public explanation for a series of costly failures at the Transition Academy at Shadd Elementary, a refuge school designed to provide intensive therapy for some 175 “emotionally disturbed” teens and young adults. “As they’re experimenting, our kids aren’t getting the services and care they need,” Cheh said. “You may have had a colossal waste of money in a part of the school system that has been wasting money for years.”
An Examiner investigation published Monday revealed a host of problems in the planning and opening of the school. Not enough teachers or staff were hired, the building was considered unsafe and infested with rats, and kids were rushed to emergency rooms in droves thanks to daily, sometimes hourly, riots in the hallways. The school was supposed to be Rhee’s case study in rebuilding the moribund $300 million special education system, which is already subject to two federal consent decrees. Instead, the school system fell further behind as untrained special-ed bureaucrats were thrust into Shadd in a vain effort to keep the peace. By October, a federally appointed monitor was declaring Shadd “a disaster.” A desperate “relaunch” by Rhee’s bureaucrats has calmed things down, but Rhee is still being urged to close the school and start again.
Cheh supported Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s takeover of the $1 billion school system and approved Rhee as chancellor. But she said the revelations at Shadd were a blow to the chancellor’s credibility. “Every time we ask about special ed, we’re told, ‘Trust us. There’s a plan. We’re making progress,’ ” Cheh said. “This undermines all that. They should come forward with an explanation and also say what comes next.” Rhee didn’t respond to requests for comment. " (Posted by The Washington Teacher). Article courtesy of http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/
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