Washington Post reports indicate that Chancellor of Public Schools Michelle Rhee has given 226 D.C. teachers their walking papers. Not only that, but one more 737 instructors are under threat of dismissal in a year if they do not improve markedly. The mass of firings came were based upon IMPACT test results that D.C. schools now use annually to determine teacher ability. Article source – Chancellor Michelle Rhee fires 226 D.C. teachers by Newystype.com.

D.C. teachers union claims punishment is too severe

It is a matter of being “punishment-heavy and support-light,” claims Washington Teachers Union President George Parker. Rather than helping teachers, IMPACT-fueled results simply weed certain teachers out. That it was instituted on a large-scale basis instead of being tested in a smaller pilot program first didn’t sit well with the D.C. teachers’ union. As it stands, the union will protest the 226 D.C. teachers fired.

‘Every child has a right to a highly effective teacher,’ says Rhee

Chancellor Rhee affirmed that District of Columbia Public Schools is committed as an organization to providing kids with top-quality education. “Today, with the release of the first year of results from IMPACT, we take one more step toward making that commitment a reality,” she writes in a public statement. The D.C. teacher firings and threats of dismissal aren’t new territory for Rhee; she let 266 go within the fall of 2009. There was talk of budget difficulties, but the Post found that 500 new teachers had just been hired before the term. Regardless, Rhee insists that quality was part of the decision.

Pay for performance

There had just been a contract agreement between the union and administration that raised salaries by one-fifth, but the trade-off was that seniority and tenure positions were attacked, to be changed by a merit system. Bonuses of $ 20,000 to $ 30,000 were earmarked for those instructors who topped evaluations. Teachers who receive such bonuses are fulfilling President Obama’s aims with his $ 3.4 billion “Race to the Top” education overhaul. The intense scrutiny breeds strong teachers, Rhee feels.

How IMPACT works

The Post indicates that D.C. teachers receive five 30-minute classroom peer sit-ins during the school year. Observation scores are measured against a nine-category “teaching and learning framework” that contains such things as how instructors manage class time, how clearly they present the material and their efforts at ensuring that students across different levels of ability understand the lesson. Results are scored for a final tally.

What IMPACT upon teachers

One thousand D.C. teachers were polled by their union, and it is distressing that over half failed to understand what IMPACT requires. Not only that but 75 percent didn’t feel they had good models to go by. A comparable group denied they’d received any instruction after first being told that they weren’t performing to expectation in some areas.

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