Education Reform in D.C.

[Crumbled_pavement]

Inspired by article on Politico.com: Adrian Fenty loss worries education reformers

This is a very disappointing article. It makes me wonder if education reform is even possible in the inner city. Granted, the blame can't be pinned entirely on teachers as some of these kids are being failed big time by their parents. The question is, can any of this be fixed and if so, how? I thought [[since I don't live in D.C.) that Fenty and Rhee were doing a great job, guess the community does not agree.

[ghettopalmetto]

As a former District resident, and friend of a couple DCPS teachers past and present, there are multiple cultural issues at work here. One of which, of course, is that there is a certain segment of the population in the District that is perfectly accepting of failure. One of my friends, a former teacher, often faced battles with administrators and parents claiming that he was pushing the kids "too hard". He found his boss [[the principal) often sided with the parents, and he is now teaching English in Korea.

The reforms have caused controversy [[and I believe, Fenty to lose his bid for re-election) because it pushes people too far out of their comfort zone. Plain and simple, these aren't people who are accustomed to being challenged between the ears, and they don't have the balls to man-up to a challenge. They're more concerned about their inflated bullshit street egos than they are gaining a lick of knowledge.

[Hermod]

It goes beyond just the teacher-principal part. The DC schools have one of the highest per-pupil expenditures in the country, yet the schools are falling apart. One of the US Army's first African-American generals, LTG Julius Becton, took over the DC schools after he retired. He felt that if he improved the physical plant, it would set a better environment for learning. The union of the janitors and school maintenance men drove him right out of town for using hostile four letter words towards union members [[Gen Becton had a propensity for saying "work" to the unions which seriously offended them). Gen Becton left and the condition of the DC school buildings continues to deteriorate.

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[Patrick]

Im in DC now and there is a story about the DC schools and Rhee just about everyday here. She won't last much longer with a new mayor. At the same time, the unions arent helping the situation at all.

[Crumbled_pavement]

Im in DC now and there is a story about the DC schools and Rhee just about everyday here. She won't last much longer with a new mayor. At the same time, the unions arent helping the situation at all.

Give me your viewpoint. Do you think Fenty and Rhee went about reform wrong, or the community has it wrong? What is your take on what is happening with the school system there? I ask because this has huge ramifications for DPS, which is in shambles itself and desperately needs reform. I don't think Bing is the type to push the envelope, especially if pushing the envelope gets people pushed out of office in other cities.

[Patrick]

To be honest, I don't think there was much Fenty and Rhee could do besides shake things up a little bit. People were demanding change and the public wanted results. Now, you have to understand that DC is a divided city when it comes to Education. The place is segregated both racially and economically and this split creates vastly different views about educational reform.

Rhee did push the envelope pretty far because she pushed the union off its comfy throne. However, a lot of good teachers were sacrificed in her purge. I feel that there is only so much a school can do for a child. You have to ask yourself about the similarities between DPS and DC and their elements of failure. What do these two districts share in common with one another that make them so horrific?

[Patrick]

I am going to come off as crass and mean, but you could give the students in DPS and DC the very best teachers as well as the very best equipment and I still believe many would fall through the cracks. The home front for these students simply doesn’t exist. Most come from economically depressed one-parent households where there is more focus placed on finding a job or putting food on the table. You can change schools all you want but unless a change happens at home, these kids will grow up going to the Everest Institute and struggling to find work in the service sector.

[Jimaz]

... I still believe many would fall through the cracks....

Glad you said "many" and not "all." Check out this front page story in today's Free Press:

Breaking free from his past, EMU sophomore A.J. McLittle embraces a life without limits

. Now there's a role model! Yea for A.J.!

[Crumbled_pavement]

I am going to come off as crass and mean, but you could give the students in DPS and DC the very best teachers as well as the very best equipment and I still believe many would fall through the cracks. The home front for these students simply doesn’t exist. Most come from economically depressed one-parent households where there is more focus placed on finding a job or putting food on the table. You can change schools all you want but unless a change happens at home, these kids will grow up going to the Everest Institute and struggling to find work in the service sector.

Thanks for the insight. Very depressing news. I was hoping DC would be an example of how to turn a school district around. I guess not.

Glad you said "many" and not "all." Check out this front page story in today's Free Press:

Breaking free from his past, EMU sophomore A.J. McLittle embraces a life without limits

. Now there's a role model! Yea for A.J.!

Thanks for this story, it is inspiring. The question is how do we duplicate the results? There's always a few in the batch that escape their fate. It would be great if the failed became the few and the successful were the norm.