By Donavan Wilson on 1.15.09 @ 6:05AM
D.C. parents who can't afford Sidwell Friends have a friend in
Michelle Rhee.
President Barack Obama opposes vouchers that would let poor
students attend private schools. During his presidential
campaign, he charged that "school choice results in a huge drain
of resource out of the public schools." Yet like Bill Clinton
before him, President Obama will send his daughters to Sidwell
Friends. Why can't low-income families have the same opportunity
as the children of presidents?
If Michelle Rhee has her way, they will. Named by Democratic
Mayor Adrian Fenty as the first chancellor of the D.C. schools,
she is the latest person tasked with reforming Washington's
chronically underperforming education system. But those who came
before her were unwilling to take on the teachers' unions. Rhee
promises to be different, a fact that has made her the
face of education reform nationwide.
Rhee wants more freedom in firing bad teachers and the ability to
promote good teachers. Unlike past administrations that paid lip
service to the concept of merit pay, Rhee advocates tying teacher
compensation to performance. This might sound like
uncontroversial ideas, but they are bitterly opposed by the
teachers' unions. Union leaders claim that tenure is essential to
academic freedom and support the status quo on teacher pay. But
the status quo isn't helping D.C. children learn.
The union rank-and-file isn't unaware that something needs to be
done, however. In November, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
head Randi Weingarten confirmed that she reached out to
Chancellor Rhee to discuss ongoing contract talks with D.C.
public schools. The members of Washington's teachers union are
divided over important elements of Rhee's education reform plans.
Rhee has not proposed the complete abolition of tenure. Under her
reforms, each teacher can choose between two compensation plans:
red and green. Teacher pay doubles under the green plans by 2010.
However, teachers under this plan give up tenure for a year. At
this point, teachers need a principal's recommendation or face
elimination. Teachers choosing the red plan also get a pay
increase, but lose seniority rights if their school closes or
gets overhauled.
During April of 2008, Rhee offered buy-out packages to 700
teachers nearing retirement or working at schools scheduled for
closure. Also, Rhee fired 98 employees of D.C. school system's
central office. Rhee wants to establish a culture of
accountability. Rhee dismissed 24 school principals in 2008.
Additionally, Rhee fired 22 assistant principals last June. Rhee
has closed as many as 23 schools in her first year. Last
November, Fenty and Rhee introduced a plan to close 24 schools in
the future.
Rhee brings a sense of urgency missing during previous
administrations. Rhee's moves are necessary because of the D.C.'s
inconsistent track record regarding accountability. D.C. has to
reform 27 city schools that failed to make adequate yearly
progress, an important element of No Child Left Behind. Only 12
percent of D.C. eighth grade students are proficient in reading
and just 8 percent are proficient in math.
Most importantly, Rhee is a supporter of charter schools and the
District's school voucher program. The Opportunity Scholarship
Program serves 1,900 low-income students, by providing them
$7,500 vouchers and the choice to attend private schools. The
chancellor believes that school choice is part of raising
standards in the public school system. Rhee's support is
essential to survival of the voucher program in D.C., which is up
for renewal next year. Rhee will confront a Congress and White
House dominated by fellow Democrats who are diehard opponents of
school vouchers.
It will take a long time to reform the long-suffering D.C. public
school system. Michelle Rhee's mission is to make sure that
children can get a quality education in the nation's capital even
if their parents cannot afford the tuition at Sidwell Friends.
topics:
Education
