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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Furious times at Central Falls The Educated Guess

The Educated Guess

Furious times at Central Falls

Posted in No Child Left Behind
Central Falls High School offers a cautionary tale for California as districts await notification of which 187 failing schools must be restructured.
Late last month, the superintendent of the small Rhode Island district fired all of Central Falls’ 93 staff members – 74 teachers, the principal, counselors and other employees – as the first step toward turning around the low-income, largely Hispanic school. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan praised Superintendent Frances Gallo’s courage, and President Obama on Monday condoned the mass firings as a necessary last resort. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called it another example of scapegoating teachers. Author Diane Ravitch called the tactic “mean and punitive” – more evidence of No Child Left Behind gone wild.
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