One of the trusims of education reform is that large, entrenched school systems resist any substantial change and the best one can do is slowly inch them along. Enter Michelle Rhee.
Not content with merely pushing the envelope, Rhee opted for an earth-shaking body slam usually seen in Sumo. Since being appointed just over a year ago, Washington DC superintendent (and former Denver resident) Rhee:
“has shuttered 23 schools, canned 15% of the central-office staff, fired 250 teachers who failed to get NCLB-required certification, and bought out more than 200 others. As the new school year gets under way, she is pushing a revolutionary contract that may simultaneously kill the entrenched seniority hiring system and make Washington’s teachers the highest paid in America.”
Conventional wisdom is that anything other than baby-steps won’t work. Is it time to rethink what qualifies as aggressive reform? Article HERE; make your own comparisons.
Ooms With A View 