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The Nation's Pulse
No Tears for Fenty
School reformers can learn from Washington mayor Adrian Fenty’s arrogant demise.
School reformers across the nation found themselves in mourning this week after Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s bid for a second term went down in stunning defeat. Four years after sweeping aside a political establishment that long-tolerated rampant crime and systemic academic failure in its schools, the lawyer and former city councilman lost the Democratic primary in the nation’s capital to technocrat Vincent Gray, whose only notable achievement in his long career in politics was overseeing the clown college known as the city council.
Fenty’s takeover and overhaul of D.C.’s woeful public school system – long renowned as the Superfund Site of public education (before Detroit took that unenviable position) — won him acclaim from his fellow centrist Democrats in the school reform movement, as did the work of Michelle Rhee in battling the American Federation of Teachers affiliate that long controlled the district. But the rest of his tenure was filled with spats with the city council, incidents of alleged cronyism, a high-profile snub of Dorothy Height, a doyenne of the city’s black political elite, and, by June, a high-profile jailbreak from the city’s juvenile detention center that left whatever reputation he still had as an effective city manager in tatters. Fenty even managed to bruise the egos of the very school reformers who were keeping his campaign afloat by failing to appear at a debate sponsored by the Young Education Professionals of D.C.
By Tuesday, as Fenty was pulling defeat from the jaws of what was once near-certain victory, his supporters were reduced to asking D.C. voters to keep him in office in spite of his jerk reputation. Oddly enough, if not for the presence of Rhee — who has far more fans than Fenty despite her own Churchillian persona and sharp-elbowed approach to dealing with teachers unions — he would have likely lost by an even greater margin.
Fenty’s downfall flips on its head the long-dominant argument that mayors should avoid school reform because of the political danger of jousting with teachers unions and their cadre of supporters. But the political success of reform-minded mayors such as New York’s Michael Bloomberg, Chicago’s Richard Daley (who is leaving after two decades in office), and former Milwaukee mayor (and school voucher pioneer) John Norquist shows that, if anything, big-city residents aren’t all that fond of teachers unions or dropout factories. That President Barack Obama’s school reform efforts remain popular on the national level (even as the rest of his agenda is being rejected) is another sign school reform is sensible, politically and otherwise.
At the same time, Fenty’s loss offers a new reason for why school reformers shouldn’t rely on mayor-led reform. Mayors can succeed in continuing reforms only if they master the other aspects of their job: Keeping crime low; attending to quality of life issues; efficiently managing city government; and artfully keeping opponents (and sometimes, even allies) divided or placated. Fail in any of these areas (let alone all of them, as in Fenty’s case) and the mayor may not have much time to overhaul school districts — or anything else.
This should have been particularly clear to school reformers three years ago, when another one of their municipal darlings, Bart Peterson, lost what should have been a cakewalk re-election as Indianapolis mayor to Greg Ballard, who had raised just $300,000 and had little support from the city’s Republican Party establishment. Peterson won acclaim for being the first mayor in America to authorize charter schools. His efforts were recognized by such outfits as Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, which awarded him its Innovations in Government Award.
But Peterson also presided over rising crime and vandalism, growing vagrancy, and tax increases related to construction of a new $720 million stadium for the Circle City’s NFL franchise. Residents, displeased that Indianapolis was getting mired in the same malaise that has long made Detroit an unlivable slum, showed him the door. Luckily for reformers (and for the city’s kids), Peterson’s effort lives on thanks to his successor’s hands-off approach, the pluck of charter school operators and Indianapolis’ status as Indiana’s capital city (which guarantees attention from the state’s reform-minded governor and school superintendent).
Fenty’s efforts aren’t likely to experience such a nice fate. Gray, who initially backed Fenty’s reform effort while on the city council, has squabbled with Rhee over such matters as the layoff of 266 teachers (including many longtime instructors), and the dismissal of another 200 or so laggard teachers in July. Given his history with Rhee — and his need to placate supporters such as the AFT (which backed his campaign with a $1 million ad campaign) — Gray is likely to do as much as he can to force Rhee to quit (if not fire her outright). No reform-minded candidate will likely consider working for him, ensuring that D.C.’s traditional public schools slide back into the academic (and bureaucratic) cesspool.
School reformers, who have long been better at winning over politicians than grassroots activists, need to learn how to build alliances for reform that extend beyond a mayor’s office. They may also need to stop focusing on overhauling districts — and try out alternatives. New Orleans, where 57 percent of students attend charter schools, may prove to be a great place to start. Louisiana’s school superintendent intends to shut down the Recovery School District and allow the 33 traditional public schools it oversees to choose between being under the watchful eye of the traditional school district (now shrunken from a massive 103 schools to a mere seven since Hurricane Katrina) or operate independently under state oversight as de facto charter schools.
As an object lesson, Adrian Fenty’s defeat could yet be beneficial for school reformers and America’s children alike — though not in Washington, D.C., not for the foreseeable future.
About the Author
RiShawn Biddle the editor of Dropout Nation , is co-author of A Byte at the Apple: Rethinking Education Data for the Post-NCLB Era. He can be followed at Twitter.com/dropoutnation.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (35) | Leave a comment
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Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 9.17.10 @ 6:46AM
It's a rare public school system that actually wants reform. In the few systems where reform has reared it's ugly head, the head is normally chopped off or stymied.
In the very near future a threat to public schools will emerge. Internet colleges and college courses have become a huge success.
There isn't any thing that could prevent those same companies or perhaps universities from offering high school courses on line.
I know someone who never went to high school or cracked a book. He walked into a state GED office and took a pre-GED test and passed. At that point he was eligible to take the test and did and passed.
He now has a GED and no employer cares. Since then he has taken one year of college.
The problem with public schools is that they are not necessary and very soon you will see many business entities try to cash in on internet high school.
It would be simply to do and believe it, it will come.
When it occurs the slick political class who trade in questionable promises will have one less promise in their bag of tricks with which to delude the public.
It's all about training people to think and learn. Public schools in most inner cities have deplorable drop out rates. In Baltimore city just north of D.C. those rates exceed 70%.
Black males suffer the worst with the highest drop out rates, yet those communities vote the same class of clowns in over and over.
In essence, public schools are victims of central economic planning. Where it is tried, it fails.
Toto| 9.17.10 @ 9:36AM
Internet courses?
Only the most disciplined students have the skills and determination to complete these courses. Most students will need the structure of the traditional classroom, and this will be woefully inadequate for many.
The problems of public schooling are myriad, and I can't imagine how teachers cope with their terrible, frustrating responsibilities. The public expects teachers to educate today's rowdy youth, when it is barely all they can do to keep order in the classroom.
Behavior problems are worsening, and respect for authority is diminishing.
Pity the poor teacher.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 9.17.10 @ 11:55AM
And you further make the case that nothing can save schools. As far as discipline, many students are self schooled and home schooled and perform better then those who are mind numbed by the diversity crowd.
If you send your children to public schools you probably have guaranteed that many will fail.
You'd be better off training them at home.
BG| 9.17.10 @ 1:14PM
I agree with Mr. O'Stalin. Computer education is widely popular and attractive to most populations because of its continuous interaction...
Indeed, it takes more will, concentration and stamina for a kid to sit through some crappy class inefficiently taught. Computerized courses are much more dynamic and skilled in leading students through a curriculum. Though some classes will need hands-on experiences, there are now private schools poping up all over ready to lend a hand just to satisfy this deman.
All of this has really come from the Home Schooling crowd who have created real educational needs..., and the "free-market" has wonderfully responded.
To be sure, home schooled kids now have options in their communities in playing sports, arts and music lessons.... attending Physics, Chemistry and Math labs, and others....
This is a growing testimony that the public schools and their union reps. are dying!
Old Counselor| 9.17.10 @ 2:51PM
While I respect everyone's opinion, my 41 years in public education (elementary ed thru adult) makes me agree more with Toto. This summer, as our district continues to embrace the wonders of technology, the decision was made to do away with our traditional summer school for our failing students. Rather than having them re-taught the lessons failed in the past, the students were all provided laptops and access to the on-line PLATO software so they could "recover" their lost credits. The teaching staff were now just facilitators; the students could even work at home and report to the daily school only when they were ready to attempt an exam on the modules they had been studying.
At the conclusion of five weeks, approximately 94 class credits had been recovered and 552 had not. Since the majority of students who fail during the regular academic year often lack those necessary attributes of time-management, diligence, self-discipline, etc. why did our Central Office gurus think this was a great idea? Of course, they are not willing to admit defeat. They believe that if they just tweak this grand idea a little, it will be a resounding success.
My many years have taught me that bright, motivated students from supportive homes will learn in spite of all we do. Those born into non-supportive environments lacking in successful adult models will succeed only if they can somehow determine within themselves that they WILL NOT be like their parent/guardians. This does sometimes happen, but it is the rare child who perseveres against both his parents and his peers.
Baloney| 9.17.10 @ 5:38PM
Like Toto you continue to make the point. According to you, the public schools failed the students only to fail them again.
Baloney| 9.17.10 @ 5:38PM
Like Toto you continue to make the point. According to you, the public schools failed the students only to fail them again.
BG| 9.17.10 @ 10:23PM
TOTO: No offense met of course, and none taken, but I too have taught and supervised from Jr. High (Public) through to the Post-Doctoral level of University (Oxford)....
Of course, anybody who thinks that simply turning a non-motivated student who has years of bad learning experiences, or even just a lazy one, over to a computer program alone and expect that over the summer, they will finanly "get it" without any other support and turn over a new leaf, should re-examine the merits of ones own reality testing..., or at least admit that your analysis is lacking statistical merit, being uncontrolled and anecdotal, which readily discounts itself from the possibility of yielding any serious measure of anything. Yet almost 20% did accomplish something.... which seems impressive especially since nothing else was presumably done....
And your experience simply magnifies the problem with Public Education, one rarely thinks outside the box for solutions, nor accepts possibilities far from the home of the Teachers Unions.
The fact of the matter is that schools are not supposed to raise kids.... the Radical Social agenda of Progressives continually think that this is a good idea, even though it has never ever worked.
Schools can provide just so much, no matter how well they are organized. We must first accept the fact that like welfare, Public Schools have accepted/demanded responsibilities that were never theirs to begin with, and should be summarily stripped from them. Their present course is self-destructive, and certainly not teaching anything to younger population but how to be irresponsible.
Outside "the box" are are a number of solutions that are working, but still more work is needed in the most obvious place.... within the homes... especially those from broken homes.
Here's a thought, instead of sticking to the old tired and useless educational paradigm, why don't we freely turn a million minds on to these problems, and see which city, county, and state come up with the best solutions, instead of remaining in lock step with Public Education and their Unions.... shooting down any idea that doesn't fit with their selfish agendas.
I really feel that only then, good and passion-filled teachers will be able to shine, leading our children to a better world without the shackeling baggage of tired old ideas that have never worked. What a waste of good minds.....
Alan Brooks| 9.18.10 @ 1:37AM
"The problems of public schooling are myriad"
Just for starters, a real wizard wants to teach grad students at a good university or college-- not teach at grammer skool. What does grammar school mean in DC or Detroit these days--
counting grams of "medical" marijuana in the stairwells?
Public School 101| 9.18.10 @ 1:05PM
Toto, you don't know the half of it. Thanks for "pitying the poor teachers." Pity is what we need.
My urban school is HELL with flourescent lighting, and I, thank God, will retire at the end of this year.
Our school's experiment with internet courses was a dismal failure for 80% of the students because the students do not have the verbal and analytical skills to benefit from the courses. The facilitators were bombarded with frustrated students not understanding directions, not comprehending the content, etc.
The competent students completed the courses successfully. The less competent students (80%)dropped out, or if they completed the course (with the help of friends and family members), failed the exam.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 9.19.10 @ 10:51AM
Our school's experiment with internet courses was a dismal failure for 80% of the students because the students do not have the verbal and analytical skills to benefit from the courses. The facilitators were bombarded with frustrated students not understanding directions, not comprehending the content, etc.Our school's experiment with internet courses was a dismal failure for 80% of the students because the students do not have the verbal and analytical skills to benefit from the courses. The facilitators were bombarded with frustrated students not understanding directions, not comprehending the content, etc.
And who was supposed to give them those skills to begin with? You keep proving the point that public schools have failed. Failure on that scale is always met with something new.
T1Brit| 9.19.10 @ 11:25AM
When people hear 'internet course' they probably assume something like a written course delivered by post, only coming through the net.
But the internet is much more powerful than that. Students can talk to teachers instantly online - they can be present in virtual classrooms - every book they will ever need is instantly available - and searchable - there is live video conference, graphic communications - the list goes on.
If the student wants to learn then the internet is a magic bullet.
Preppie| 9.17.10 @ 7:22AM
Most interesting, but as to Vincent Gray being a technocrat, it takes one to know one, doesn't it? The eggheads of school reform, when they are not trying to get rich off public funds, are the very type of the technocrat elite. It's natural they should idolize politicians like Adrien Fenty and the kinds of individuals they name to put their notions of change (which they can convince most of the people some of the time but not all of the time they can believe in) to practice.
Alan Brooks| 9.18.10 @ 1:42AM
It wouldn't hurt to close most of the publik skools in DC and Detroit to start over from scratch.
Retain the good public schools in those cities, and rename them all: 'Oasis'.
Longplay| 9.17.10 @ 9:23AM
From the view here in Chicago, Daley may have been "reform-minded" but as with many liberals, talk was cheap. There's been no improvement and on tiop of it we shipped our "education architect" Arne Duncan, to D.C. Until we get dramatic reform, meaning the unleashing of the private sector in primary and secondary education, we're just whistling past the graveyard.
Alan Brooks| 9.18.10 @ 1:56AM
Have the students wear striped uniforms, and place bars on the windows.
james wilson| 9.17.10 @ 11:11AM
The voters don't care about education--they don't have any, why should others? They care about patronage and welfare.
Dai Alanye | 9.17.10 @ 12:31PM
One problem is that many voters are confused about what education is and isn't.
It isn't sitting in a classroom for a specified number of years, nor is it taking attractive (and ultimately useless) courses while ignoring the basics.
Our local district asked for more money this year despite decreased enrollment. The excuse: expenses have gone up. Well, my expenses have also gone up, and those poor souls who've lost their jobs or had overtime cut have seen their expenses rise precipitously. Where do they go for an "increase?"
As justification the superintendent offered videos made by students in a new course being offered at all levels. As if, I suppose, training in videography will lead to productive employment for the masses. Sadly, some parents bought this argument because their children enjoyed the "fun course." And no doubt many of their children enjoy candy more than salad.
But schools in Ohio have made tremendous advances in recent years by misleading voters as to what true education is, and by stressing sports, music and "fun courses." These advances mean, of course, improved voter approval of operating levies that assure continued high salaries and job security for school staff.
Ammo Guy| 9.17.10 @ 12:14PM
The weird thing is that Fenty won the GOP primary on a write-in vote. So, just for yucks, I'd love to see a rematch in November, but Fenty says he's not interested...so far.
Doctor Right| 9.17.10 @ 2:25PM
Blah-Blah-Blah-Blah-Blah.
I am sick-to-death of hearing about the plight of our inner city schools.
The vast majority of the problems stem directly from the blind-allegiance of "inner city" residents (which is just another way of saying black and hispanic residents) for the Democrat Party.
As long as these same citizens enter the voting booth in election after election and pull the lever for Democrats, NOTHING will ever change.
One would have thought that Obama's decision to kill the voucher program in D.C. might have raised a few eyebrows among his supporters who have kids in DC's school system. One would hope that maybe, just maybe, they'd start to understand that the Democrat Party does NOT care about "the children", they care about the $$ they get from the Teacher's Unions. One would also hope that this revelation might cause some of them to rethink their knee-jerk allegiance to this same Democrat Party.
On would hope so...But one would also be incredibly naive.
Jerk or not, Fenty was attempting in some small measure to institute real reforms in to DC's schools, reforms that would have presumably helped DC's kids. And for attempting to do so, he was turned-out of office by the DC Democrat machine and the Teacher's Unions.
But none of this would have been possible without the voters. Once again, like total lemmings, the citizens of DC marched into the booth, and voted against reform. And in NOvember, like clockwork, they'll all pull the levers for the Democrats.
When it comes to public education, those who live in America's inner cities are the architects of their own destruction. I have no more patience listening to their incessant gripes. Time and time again, they chose to vote for the destroyers.
And time and time again, their own children reap what their parents sew.
I'm sick of hearing about it.
PolishKnight| 9.17.10 @ 3:11PM
OK, I know this is abit of a one note, but it's worth repeating that the problem with inner city schools and overall malaise of young people is due to the fruit of women's equality: unwed motherhood.
Yes, the Dems have a strong lock on race but when gender and marital status is taken into account, unwed mothers vote Democrat and, sadly, they aren't that far ahead of women who are wed.
The culture war is intertwined with politics and the ultimate goal of the socialist order is for the state to become the "father" of children and this includes financial breadwinning. Instead of a wife being appreciative of her husband, unwed mothers swoon for big government sugar daddies.
A lot of these problems begin at home gentlemen. Not just those in the inner cities but YOURS.
Doctor Right| 9.17.10 @ 3:45PM
I don't disagree with anything you said, PolishKnight.
After all...Which party facilitated the de-stigmatization of illegitimacy, and unwed pregnancy? Which party promises more and more and more goodies to unwed mothers?
Some may think this sounds overly simplistic, but pretty much all of the social problems that plague our nation can either directly or indirectly be laid that the feet of the Democratic Party and their idiotic policies. Socialism not only kills economies, it kills the human spirit. And as you aptly state, that is the underlying strategy: Breakdown humanity, make them wards of the all-loving state, and rebuild them in the state's image.
Sickening.
RacerJim| 9.18.10 @ 9:43AM
Sickening at best, unAmerican at worst.
jomo2009| 9.17.10 @ 4:20PM
At least Fenty and his family had time to be spotlighted in a spread for Town and Country magazine earlier this summer.
WR Jonas | 9.17.10 @ 8:35PM
Dr. Right is right. Once liberalism prevails destruction is inevitable and uncorrectable.
I suppose those poor souls writhing in the torment of victimhood never understand why their condition never changes.
At least there must be level of fear in their thoughts that they could be wrong .. ? Nah!
ACynic| 9.17.10 @ 8:44PM
Just wait. The corrupt politicians and their thug teacher union money providers will enact legislation to render online high schools and colleges unable to survive. They have already begun to stigmatize the "for profit" colleges. Of course, ALL colleges are non-profit if their excess revenues are used to build ANOTHER BUILDING OR ANOTHER ARENA OR ANOTHER WHATEVER - all of which adds permanent costs more to maintain; or provide their faculty members a one year PAID sabbatical to pursue their interests. They can keep doing this because they can raise tuition with impunity and idiot alumni never cease giving them money.
Tenn Slim| 9.18.10 @ 8:01AM
"The problem with public schools is that they are not necessary and very soon you will see many business entities try to cash in on internet high school."
I seriously doubt that local parents will go for a business School Internet model.
The Public School system, however flawed, has a unique place in the USA Educational system History. Sports, Social events, SOME dedicated teachers, a curriculum that does change with reality, and a diverse eduational approach across the land, will ensure the continuation of the US Public Schools.
We may understand that these schools have problems, but the need for local solutions is also a way for the average citizen to learn the ins and outs of local political methods. School reform is an excellent way for newbies, new parents, new adult children, to cut thier teeth on the American System of resolutions to local problems.
end
Semper Fi
Joanna | 6.6.11 @ 6:02AM
I agree with most of these comments too.
UTI Treatment
Christian Louboutin | 6.23.11 @ 5:39AM
At the same time, Fenty's loss offers a new reason for why school reformers shouldn't rely on mayor-led reform. Mayors can succeed in continuing reforms only if they master the other aspects of their job