AU students and faculty are getting more involved in the debate over whether District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's shakeup of procedures and personnel in the D.C. public school system is doing more harm or good.
The system is currently failing, said David Teslicko, a senior in the School of International Service.
"If she can get the right people, I think it will work, but if not, she's taking a huge gamble," he said.
Since Mayor Adrian Fenty appointed Rhee in June 2007, she has closed 23 schools with low enrollments and fired 38 principals, 23 assistant principals, 250 teachers and 500 teachers' assistants, according to The Washington Post.
Rhee unveiled additional plans to improve D.C. public schools to start off the new school year. While D.C. currently has the highest spending per student, the school system has nearly the lowest scores in the nation in reading and math.
"I think it's a hell of a job," said John Doolittle, an associate director at AU's Center for Teaching Excellence. "Rhee seems to be a tough and able person, but she's being given a lot. If she can straighten out any of that, God bless her."
Rhee is haggling with teachers' unions over a proposal to pay teachers based on students' performance instead of seniority, with salaries of up to $131,000 a year possible, according to the D.C. Public Schools Web site.
"I think it's a good idea," Teslicko, who is a Finance and Special Projects associate at Facilitating Leadership in Youth (FLY), a program to help students from southeast D.C. succeed in school. "After working in the schools because of FLY, I met a large number of teachers who have been working for a long time who are not dedicated to helping students."
Teachers would get to choose whether to enroll in the "Go for Green" merit pay system, partially paid for through donations from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other charity groups, but would have to give up tenure and spend a year on probation. During this time, the teachers could face termination if they do not meet expectations. Permanent tenure removal would lower teachers' job security, which would make them more accountable. Teachers who choose not to participate in the merit pay program would still get a smaller pay increase and would keep tenure. All new teachers automatically enroll in the merit pay program.
More controversial is an October pilot program in 14 middle schools that will pay students up to $100 a month for attendance, turning in assignments, and good behavior, The Eagle previously reported.
"We believe middle school is a critical point in a student's academic development," said Jennifer Calloway, assistant press secretary for Rhee. "By sparking an interest in achievement through monetary incentives we're seeking to encourage more students to be successful."
In addition to the merit pay for teachers, Rhee said she hopes to make students' records more accessible and reliable, expand after-school programs and increase the number of teachers' development programs.
Rhee's high expectations and sweeping changes will help her reach her goal of making the D.C. public school system the best school district in the country in eight years, she has said.
"She's trying to do a lot of things too fast," said Clay Pencek, a sophomore in SIS. "But sometimes we need that."
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