AFT and NEA ineffective in their backyard

The Time magazine article of Dec 8, 2008 on Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of DC public schools destroys the credibility of the Teacher's Unions ability to protect their members.

This article, focusing on the actions of the new DC schools chancellor (Rhee), points out the fact that Rhee has been able to fire nearly 300 teachers in the past year. The article gives no data on any personnel reviews, and no apparent reasons given other than nebulous notions of weak or poor performance. In fact, the indication from the article is that Rhee herself decides who stays and who goes. (Just my impression from the article.)

Rhee's ideas stem from her personal crusade to put 'better' teachers in classrooms across the country. This coming from a deep seated idea that 'strong' teachers can better meet the needs of the students in their care. While this idea is not new, it has never actually proven to be a significant factor in education quality.

The problem for the teachers unions is that she is making it happen, and the unions are apparently impotent to stop the process.

I am of several minds about this. On one hand, I really like seeing the unions squeal like stuck pigs because someone finally has the...uhm...guts...yeah, guts...to challenge them on this issue in their seat of power. Seeing this happen in DC is just...delicious.

On the other hand, Rhee is acting on a personal fixed idea that is not going to produce any results and is going to cause far more chaos and turmoil that will have real (negative) impact upon the school system in the long run. When the results are not forthcoming, Ms. Rhee is going to be acquainted with the administrative version of a lynching. (Read the article and it leaves the impression that Ms. Rhee pisses off friends and foes alike.) Don't get me wrong, there may be some positive results for a year or perhaps two, with small improvements, but it won't last. It won't last because teachers are not the problem with education quality. (But that is a subject for another post.)

Mass firings without clear reasoning creates a state of fear, and fear is not a good motivator in the long run. Though Ms Rhee wants to implement incentives for high performance, it is not occurring. There is no support structure and/or policy innovation to guide the remaining staff on how to be 'strong' teachers, thus her policies leave behind a wake of confusion and turmoil for all remaining teachers. It is that confusion which will paralyze the teachers, and eventually the entire system. What will teachers do throughout the year to make certain their students' test scores improve (so they will retain their jobs)? Can we evermore be certain of the truth in any report coming from an organization where the average worker could lose his/her job on a whim?

When you cannot define what a good and strong teacher is, or cannot train the teachers to acquire the skills/abilities which would make a 'strong' teacher, set the organization up to fail by demanding it happen. Ms. Rhee thinks she knows, but she is mistaken. That mistake will cost the DC schools and students dearly.

Perhaps before someone granted her unlimited power over the DC schools they should have checked the track record of all the teachers she promoted and got hired through her organization the New Teacher Project. Of course, no one thought of that...