DC Public Schools Reform and Michelle Rhee (day care, how much)

[tenken627]

Today is the first day of school for all DC Public Schools.

The DCPS system has been mocked, belittled, and even frightened some people in a lot of posts on this board.

So, what do you think of Michelle Rhee's very aggressive reforms over the past year that's causing quite a stir all over the city?

Do you think they will work? Do you think that she is going too far? Do you think that she is acting like a dictator or being undemocratic? Or do you think that all the reforms are necessary to turn around one of the worst public school systems in the nation?

And would you enroll your child in a DCPS school now because of her reforms?

Just some of the reforms:

- close down 23 schools that were deemed under-enrolled

- completely overhauled 26 under-performing schools

- fired over 150 public school staff, including over 50 principals/assistant principals that have been in the system for a long time, but were deemed under-performing

- trying to give teachers an incentive laden work-pay package (of up to $100,000 in salary and bonuses) in return of them giving up tenure/seniority

- consolidating a centralized authority, thereby weakening the power that individual principals, superintendents, administrators have

Information found here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2500086&s_pos=

[JimGriffith]

I support her. Not all of her proposals, but I'm glad she's trying.

If we've resorted to the "dictator" strategy, it's only because everything else has been tried, so it was time to dissolve the school board and start over.

That said, she has an impossible task.

And no, I'm still not sending my kids to DCPS.

Even if all of her reforms were implemented with zero resistance, it takes a long time to turn this ship around.

[Alanboy395]

I really thought she had something going until that middle school payment for acceptable grades and behavior, that was the breaking point.

[jm67]

Agree with JimGriffith... she's doing everything right, and it won't be enough. The problems with DCPS don't start with DCPS - they start with families that are functionally illiterate and have little concept of educational attainment and personal progress. She can't fix that.

That said, I think there's some hope for DC elementary schools because (a) the "thug" peer pressure isn't so damaging at those grade levels and (b) many new, upper-income parents are leaving their kids in the system through the first few grades. That means some specific schools will have a much more involved parent constituency. But after grade 6, all bets are off...

[Moth]

Agree with JimGriffith... she's doing everything right, and it won't be enough. The problems with DCPS don't start with DCPS - they start with families that are functionally illiterate and have little concept of educational attainment and personal progress. She can't fix that.

Very true, but mystifying as to why society cannot figure that out. Public schools are a function of the communities they serve, not some conspiracy.

[JimGriffith]

The thing is, there's only so much any school system can do.

At the very minimum, they should be able to provide safe environments, in structurally sound buildings, with modern equipment, relevant textbooks, resourceful and dedicated teachers, administrators and coaches, a wide variety of coursework and AP opportunities, and nutritious meals for kids that need them.

DCPS has not achieved these benchmarks.

But even if they did, there's nothing they can (or should, in my opinion) do to force kids to care. Can't force them to pay attention, do their homework, or realize how much they'll regret passing up a free education.

Nor can they force their parents to care.

For waaaaaaay too many kids, DCPS is just taxpayer-funded day care, with optional learning.

[tenken627]

Originally Posted by jm67

Agree with JimGriffith... she's doing everything right, and it won't be enough. The problems with DCPS don't start with DCPS - they start with families that are functionally illiterate and have little concept of educational attainment and personal progress. She can't fix that.

That said, I think there's some hope for DC elementary schools because (a) the "thug" peer pressure isn't so damaging at those grade levels and (b) many new, upper-income parents are leaving their kids in the system through the first few grades. That means some specific schools will have a much more involved parent constituency. But after grade 6, all bets are off...

I agree that socioeconomic backgrounds are a huge factor, but wouldn't the first thing you must change as a school chancellor is to reverse, or at least stem, the number of children (from different socioeconomic families) leaving the public school system for private/charter schools?

Especially for a city that is changing demographically?

[saganista]

Sounds like a New Deal sort of approach to me. Things are going pretty badly here, so let's try a whole lot of new ideas, then we'll focus on the ones that seem to be working, and we'll weed out those that don't, replacing them with more new things still. It isn't like any less radical approach has gotten the city anywhere up until now, so I just wish them the best and hope that they can keep what may be a chaotic process on track and moving forward...

[Moth]

Originally Posted by JimGriffith

The thing is, there's only so much any school system can do.

At the very minimum, they should be able to provide safe environments, in structurally sound buildings, with modern equipment, relevant textbooks, resourceful and dedicated teachers, administrators and coaches, a wide variety of coursework and AP opportunities, and nutritious meals for kids that need them.

DCPS has not achieved these benchmarks.

But even if they did, there's nothing they can (or should, in my opinion) do to force kids to care. Can't force them to pay attention, do their homework, or realize how much they'll regret passing up a free education.

Nor can they force their parents to care.

For waaaaaaay too many kids, DCPS is just taxpayer-funded day care, with optional learning.

I am going to agree and disagree with your statement.

I am a DC Public school alum- Grades 1 through 12. We certainly had our share of old textbooks and my high school pool failed so much they finally knocked it down a few years ago. I had a few teachers of dubious quality, but most were better than average.

Nonetheless, that is alot more than Abe Lincoln ever had and his career speaks for itself. I and most of my friends were accepted to excellent colleges with more than a few going Ivy.

Now, where you hit the truth is the daycare comment. While there was a better than average learning experience for the taking, a good many did not want to take it. Indeed, I still recall kids in the 11th grade who could barely read.

Amazing! What were their parents thinking? Did they care? Every time my efforts lagged, my father was on me and I did not see the TV until improvements were obvious.

DC, NY, Chicago, LA or AnyCity, USA. Does not matter. If the kids disdain education, they are not going to learn and all the money along with state of the art computers and labs is not going to make a dent.

As for Ms Rhee, she was doing fine until she spoke of bribing kids with money to behave. Christ...

[saganista]

Originally Posted by Moth

As for Ms Rhee, she was doing fine until she spoke of bribing kids with money to behave. Christ...

Even she knows that it's controversial, and studies of the few places that have tried it have been pretty inconclusive, but name the workplace that doesn't have some sort of bonus, award, and incentive programs in place. Is this really anything different from that? Shouldn't have to bribe workers to work or students to study, but if it works, and it turns out to be a low cost way to boost productivity, who would complain?