Can Rhee and the D.C. teachers union work as partners?
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Discussion Policy
Thursday, June 3, 2010
For even the best teachers, it's tough getting students to focus in the classroom when other kids are setting fires in the bathroom down the hall. That's the challenge at the District's Jefferson Middle School, where teachers said three small fires were set in two days last month and kids are sometimes undisciplined.
The troubles there point to a larger question about the historic labor contract ratified by teachers Wednesday: Does the new pact mean Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and the Washington Teachers' Union are now partners, however wary, in pushing forward comprehensive school reform?
If the answer is yes, then the District should see real cooperation between Rhee and teachers to address chronic problems of student disorder, unequal distribution of resources and teacher training. That would widen the focus of reform to include more than just raising test scores, which has dominated the chancellor's first three years.
The contract provides for such a broad approach, although that's been overshadowed by pay and tenure issues. For instance, the pact includes a section providing for the union to develop a District-wide
If the answer is yes, then the District should see real cooperation between Rhee and teachers to address chronic problems of student disorder, unequal distribution of resources and teacher training. That would widen the focus of reform to include more than just raising test scores, which has dominated the chancellor's first three years.
The contract provides for such a broad approach, although that's been overshadowed by pay and tenure issues. For instance, the pact includes a section providing for the union to develop a District-wide