Great Teachers, New Contracts, and Incentives, Oh My!
After a few days, the dust is finally settling on the supposed deal between Michelle Rhee and the teachers' union in Washington, DC. By now, we've all heard the Cliff Notes version -- significantly increased teacher pay, performance bonuses, elimination of full protection of tenured teachers' jobs from budget cuts, huge financial assistance from national philanthropies.
A year ago, we thought the deal was dead as a doornail. Earlier this week, a tentative agreement was reached (the members of the DC union still have to vote. As always, Bill Turque of The Washington Post has terrific coverage of the issue, starting with the announcement story from earlier this week here and a very interestingstory this AM about how former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke served as consigliere to bring this final deal over the finish line.
Whether intentional or not, the trio of chairs for the Education Equality Project -- NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, UNCF President/CEO Michael Lomax, and NCLR President/CEO Janet Murguia -- weigh in on the general topic this morning's Washington Post in a strongly worded commentary on the need for "great teachers" in historically disadvantaged schools.
The EEP trio offers up a three-point plan on great teachers and improved student outcomes: