MaryEllen Elia FAT SKANK AND THIEF
Departing D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee offers tough advice in Tampa
By Tom Marshall, Times Staff Writer In Print: Friday, October 22, 2010
Michelle Rhee, the outgoing chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools, speaks to urban school administrators during a panel on teacher evaluations at the Council of Great City Schools conference in Tampa on Thursday.
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TAMPA — Call her a one-woman wrecking crew, a miracle worker, or the quintessential "mean girl" in American education reform. Call her what you want; Michelle Rhee doesn't mind.
"Be prepared to be Ms. or Mr. Unpopular," the outgoing chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools told an audience of urban school administrators here Thursday. "I am really good at this one right now."
Three years ago, Rhee launched a whirlwind of change: a tough evaluation system and teacher contract that resulted in 241 firings this spring, and ultimately may oust 25 percent of the district's teachers from their jobs. Those forces led to her resignation last week, following the election defeat of her boss, Mayor Adrian Fenty. But they brought applause from her audience at the Council of Great City Schools conference.
On another panel in the adjoining room, Hillsborough County superintendent MaryEllen Elia was describing a kinder, gentler strategy to reach what is rapidly becoming a national goal: boosting teacher quality and winnowing out those who can't make the grade.
"We're coming from a different approach on the same issue," said Elia, adding that she "absolutely" opposed the tone Rhee has used in talking about struggling teachers.
Elia said her district's seven-year, $202 million reform effort with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation puts more emphasis on mentoring and collaboration to help low-performing teachers.
"Working together is what is going to bring results," she told U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan during his visit to the district last week. "We are going to feel stressed as we go through change, and we're going to work through it."
Hillsborough's reforms share many elements with those in Rhee's district: a new evaluation system, stiffer tenure standards, and a value-added system that ties teacher pay to student test scores.
The district has told the Gates Foundation it might need to fire up to 5 percent or 425 of its 8,500 tenured teachers annually in the first years of the reforms, though officials say they hope intensive support for teachers will reduce that number substantially.
Still, Elia told Duncan, teachers who can't improve will be shown the door.
"They're either going to leave or we're going to say, 'Let us help you leave,' " she said.
Rhee's district might be unique in another way: some of the nation's worst test scores.
She said just 8 percent of eighth-graders in Washington were scoring at grade level in mathematics when she arrived in 2007. But 95 percent of teachers were rated as excellent.
"How can you possibly have a system where all of the adults are running around thinking that they're doing a great job for kids, and what we're producing is 8 percent success?" she asked. "That's a recipe for failure, in my opinion."
Rhee won dramatic changes. Now every teacher gets observed five times by principals or trained master teachers.
"Four of those are unannounced, not the dog-and-pony show," she added, referring to the widespread practice of allowing teachers to prepare for the day they'll be evaluated.
Teachers who receive an "ineffective" rating can be fired outright, while those who are "minimally effective" — 750 last year — get one year to improve.
Administrators are under the gun in Washington, too; 66 percent have been dismissed.
"I had to fire the principal of my kid's school. That did not go over so well," Rhee said. "But you can't take on a high-quality evaluation system if you have weak administrators."
Panelists from Miami-Dade County, Atlanta, Baltimore and Philadelphia shared tales of standards raised and contracts won, though few talked quite so tough.
"Those are the very same provisions that we negotiated," said Barbara Byrd-Bennett, chief academic officer of Detroit public schools.
"But we did it in a collaborative fashion, as opposed to Michelle Rhee's Gestapo style," added her union president, Keith Johnson.
Tom Marshall can be reached at tmarshall@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3400.[Last modified: Oct 22, 2010 09:04 AM] Click here for reuse options! Copyright 2010 St. Petersburg TimesClick here to post a comment
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There are 28 comments Oldest First Newest First Top Rated
Maxi50 wrote:
"We're coming from a different approach on the same issue," said Elia, adding that she "absolutely" opposed the tone Rhee has used in talking about struggling teachers.
As long as the powers that be continue those same failed approaches they do year after miserable year Florida students will continue to fail, teachers and parents will continue to take the blame and administrators will continue to make excuses. It should be glaringly obvious to administrators that drastic change is needed. You know, unlike the definition of insanity. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Oct 21, 2010 11:27 PM
4 1 Report Abuse
Dave in St Pete wrote:
Gov. Christie has already hired her from what I read. Good move on his part.
Oct 22, 2010 1:01 AM
1 3 Report Abuse
truthsayer wrote:
Rhee-form and pseudo-education
achievement gap widened
DCPS ELEMENTARY TEST SCORES DOWN –DECLINES IN READING AND MATH
Michelle Rhee, unaccountable & unqualified‘chancellor’(note: she is not legally eligibleto be a school district superintendent)
“The DCPS had lower math test scoresin grades 4 and 8 in 2009,and District African-Americantest scores went down” …….read & view thedata = />http://www.examiner.com/ward-5-in-washington-dc/rhee-fails-on-nation-s-report-card————————–-------------------
“2010 DCPS Test Scores DECLINED”see news article,DCist website: = />http://dcist.com/2010/07/2010_dcps_test_scores_decline.php
Look at the data, rather than the24-7 mega-media hype manipulated,funded & produced by the Hedge Fund boyz,Kaplan Testing corporation,the edu-profiteers/financiers clique& their incompetent spokesmodel rabid Rhee– with her ludicrous lack of proventeaching or administrative experience,her lack of academic certification to be a superintendent,her
Oct 22, 2010 4:43 AM
1 3 Report Abuse
truthsayer wrote:
Investigate this!Rhee-form, edu-profiteers & sleazy, corrupt, HYPOCRISY
What was helicopter-inMichelle Rhee’s ‘DAMAGE CONTROL’for (boyfriend) Kevin Johnson?note:Michelle Rhee was on theSacramento school's board of directors(and was "operations manager"/consultant)of Kevin Johnson's privatized High School charter--- during the time whenthere were financial illegalities& misappropriations of($400,000) federal grantsand also a patternof outlandish sexual misconductperpetrated by school directorKevin Johnson involving students (minor teens)& subordinate (Americorps) school staff ---as documented byU.S. Govt. Inspector GeneralGerald Walpin.
(crucial, must read) == />http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Exclusive-Congressional-Report-Rhee-did-damage-control-after-sex-charges-against-fiancee-Kevin-Johnson.html
also, more detailedinfo. = />http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2009/11/20/what-was-michelle-rhees-damage-control-for-kevin-johnson/
very
Oct 22, 2010 4:48 AM
1 3 Report Abuse
truthsayer wrote:
“2010 DCPS Test Scores DECLINED”see news article,DCist website: = />http://dcist.com/2010/07/2010_dcps_test_scores_decline.php
Look at the data, rather than the24-7 mega-media hype manipulated,funded & produced by the Hedge Fund boyz,Kaplan Testing corporation,the edu-profiteers/financiers clique& their incompetent spokesmodel rabid Michelle Rhee-- with her ludicrous lack of proventeaching or administrative experience,her lack of academic certification to be a superintendent,her lack of reasonable supervisory procedures,her lack of basic managerial skills,her lack of team-building to implement goals,her lack of community developmentto facilitate progress,her lack of professional tact, her lack of essentialcommunication insight,and her abysmal lack of common sense.
——————————-
Oct 22, 2010 4:50 AM
2 2 Report Abuse
truthsayer wrote:
RESEARCH Michelle Rhee’s ongoingCONFLICTS OF INTEREST machinations, financial gaming the system, and legal violations ---in Washington, DC and also in Sacramento.
Did you know that every time she brings in a new inexperienced, unqualified “Teach for America” intern that she pays her ex-husband’s organization (he’s the “TFA” Communications Director) a fee of several thousand dollars for each recruit —which goes toward his salary and he then repays back to her as child support ! --- that’s self-dealing. ======= Investigate the rattling skeletons in both Michelle Rhee’s and Kevin Johnson’s closets, while they’ve been protected from consequences by their big-money financier and corporate backers [eg. deliberate prevarication, budgetary machinations & financial scandals (including misappropriation of over $400,000 in federal grants), sexual misconduct with students (teen minors) and staff subordinates, cover-ups and ‘hush money’ dealsbehind-the-scenes).——————————————Must-read im
Oct 22, 2010 4:53 AM
1 1 Report Abuse
truthsayer wrote:
Michelle Rhee's legal violations and malfeasance --
Must-read important news article:http://www.sacbee.com/2009/11/20/2338165/kevin-johnsons-accuser-says-he.html
See website:http://sacchartergate.blogspot.com/
===========================
Oct 22, 2010 4:56 AM
1 2 Report Abuse
Zanne wrote:
The Gates Foundation grant to Hillsborough may well influence meaningful change for the better for our district's schools. Let's give it a chance before we decide it's a failure.
Oct 22, 2010 6:28 AM
2 1 Report Abuse
rolltide wrote:
Rhee is a hack of the highest order.She was TERMINATED in DC for poor performance!Student test scores DROPPED in DC under Rhee's watch.Rhee should be hounded into oblivion by all teachers.Say "bye bye" Michelle!
Oct 22, 2010 8:10 AM
0 1 Report Abuse
taylorcold wrote:
The Gates grand is 100% predicated on the assumption that the only problem with education in Hillsborough Co is a lack of effective teachers.
That is simply not true. The School District of Hillsborough Co promised to get rid of 5% of its teachers every year. I'm sure you believe they will target the least effective but consider this. The evaluations that will determine a teachers fate will be conducted by the existing staff of Principals and the newly minted "mentors". These evaluations will comprise 60% of a teachers score. The remaining 40% will be determined by test scores. Why not 100% on test scores?
Principals have been encouraged to find problems with the older, more costly teachers and the "mentors", some lured out of retirement and the rest with an average of 5 years experience, have been trained by UK based Cambridge Education America at a cost of 30 million bucks using an evaluation form designed by a professional economist named Charlotte Danielson.
Confident?
Oct 22, 2010 8:14 AM
0 1 Report Abuse
SaintPeteDave wrote:
Michelle Rhee is a visionary. You CANNOT gut the public school system, and we're so behind other industrialized countries in the kinds of grads we're turning out, I look forward to seeing what she can accomplish if she has the gov support. Its not the same school system that I attended while Ike and JFK were in the white house. I had a good public education, my kids got babysitters. Not alot of teaching going on in Florida public schools. Back in the day the schools were actually a priority for the government, now, not so much. Welcome to third world america.
Oct 22, 2010 8:30 AM
0 2 Report Abuse
oldcootpinellas wrote:
If you had a system turning out defective cars, wouldn't you change it? If doctors who graduated medical school couldn't pass basic tests, would you keep the school the same year after year?Rhee has some good ideas.
Oct 22, 2010 8:47 AM
0 3 Report Abuse
joe mota wrote:
Mass firing/hiring is not an efficient personell management. Hillsborough's strategy will work better. Most teachers are willing and able to improve and will respond positively to mentoring; at least this theory should be fully tested. We need to keep trying new approaches and find the ones that work best.
oldcoot, if your car starts running poorly, it's more efficient to give a tune up than to get rid of it and buy a new one. same with teachers. I admire Rhee's toughness in standing up against the entitlement mentality fostered by union protection, but it will prove more efficient to help existing teachers imrove. If they don't respond to mentoring, then fire them.
Oct 22, 2010 9:01 AM
1 0 Report Abuse
icreatemyexperience wrote:
Interesting how many of these posts are obviously created by the teachers union scribes that must track her every move and try to discredit her actions they see as a threat to their power...these unions are very scary - too much $ on the table - folks get crazy!
Oct 22, 2010 9:14 AM
1 2 Report Abuse
rolltide wrote:
stpetedave and oldcoot:the defective product is many of the students and their illiterate parents!but like the old saying goes.....you can't fix stupid!they don't call it FloriDUHHH for nothing!
Oct 22, 2010 9:16 AM
2 1 Report Abuse
Bucnright wrote:
Why did she pick 8th grade to speak about? 8th grade was the only group showing an increase and it is not even close to the surronding areas increase for 8th grade.
SaintPeteDave during your education what was the poverty level at in the US. The national rate is the highest since 1994 and among the working-age poor the highest level since the 1960s. The other issue is non english speaking students. Twenty years ago, public schools in Whitfield County, Ga., had just three non-English-speaking students. Today there are more than 1,700, or about 1 in every 6 students.
Now do you want to look at the numbers in teen violence? According to the Surgeon General, almost one out of every three sixteen to seventeen year olds in the United States self reports participating in acts of serious violence. From 1985 to 1994, the rate of homicides committed by youth aged fourteen to seventeen years increased by 172 percent.
I guess the teacher is really the person to blame. She/He controls all this
Oct 22, 2010 9:29 AM
1 0 Report Abuse
TerribleTed wrote:
Most teachers and their unions are cowards. Be accountable or get out. What are you so afraid of...losing your job or having to actually perform acceptably !
Oct 22, 2010 10:07 AM
1 2 Report Abuse
FL Cracker wrote:
Elia and her ilk and their kindler gentler attitude toward crappy teachers is a huge part of the problem. We need administrators who will have the guts to fire. Teachers unions have made teachers one of the only professions that are immune from firing. No matter how sorry they are, how lazy, how stupid...they have a job. THIS IS NOT RIGHT AND THIS IS WHY HIGH SCHOOL KIDS CAN'T READ and do basic math.
Oct 22, 2010 10:24 AM
0 2 Report Abuse
rolltide wrote:
terrible ted and FL cracker weighing in from their single wide up in Pasco after a few hits of crystal meth!it's illiterate inbred rednecks like you guys who give FloriDUH a bad name!I hope you have both been neutered so you can't reproduce and we don't have to teach your mentally challenged kids!this is your brain.....this is your brain on drugs (snap)!
Oct 22, 2010 11:25 AM
1 0 Report Abuse
RagTimes wrote:
If you want a real (good) Pinellas County School superintendent. Here she is in Ms. Rhee.
Oct 22, 2010 11:37 AM
0 2 Report Abuse
kgalloway4 wrote:
Why are we so afraid to speak the truth? We had a perfect PC example this week with the firing of Juan Williams by NPR. We go round and round on this site with everyone defending their turf disregarding the truth because it may cross the line of their safety zone. In this entire discussion I have yet to hear about WHAT IS BEST FOR EDUCATIONS PRIMARY CUSTOMER THE CHILDREN. I have several teacher friends. Each has expressed many times their frustrations with awful teachers in their schools. Kids arriving in their classes each year from prior teacher x's class who are woefully behind the other students. Precious time is wasted in catching up...if they can. Yet given this truth and reality no one seems to be concerned about the devastating blow these teachers give to their students. Throw your garbage out. Children are powerless in your care. Administrators if you were promoted out of favoritism beware. We want the best and are beginning to demand it. And, parents shape up or shut up.
Oct 22, 2010 11:48 AM
0 1 Report Abuse
Bucnright wrote:
Rolltide
Wasting time with those two they can not read. They understand nothing about the non english speaking students, poverty level or teen violence increase in the past 40 years.
Oct 22, 2010 11:50 AM
0 0 Report Abuse
beckmachine wrote:
First of all, if I read one more ill-used analogy to Nazi Germany I'm going to throw up. Secondly - to everyone who thinks teachers are the main reason for student failure, where is parental accountability? Those kids who are failing aren't just failing in the classroom. Who's checking homework? Helping study for tests? Going to the library on the weekends? It's easy to blame the person who sees the kids during the day; what's going on at night? When do people place high expectations on parent involvement?
Oct 22, 2010 11:50 AM
1 0 Report Abuse
Bucnright wrote:
oldcootpinellas
Maybe your system works fine. It is the defective materials you have been givin to work with.
Oct 22, 2010 11:54 AM
0 0 Report Abuse
Bucnright wrote:
First Unions in Florida have no power, the only power a union has is the ability to walk off the job. In Florida that is illegal to do.
Nobody is going to tell you that public schools do not have bad teachers, they do. Nobody will tell you in Florida a teacher can not be fired, they can and it is not hard to do. Look at Hillsborough the agreed to remove 5% of the teachers under the policies they already have, as reported in an old story on this site. The problem I have if they already knew that 5% of the staff was bad why were they not removed before. It should not have had anything to do with the Gates funds.
Oct 22, 2010 12:05 PM
0 0 Report Abuse
postmodman wrote:
Ms. Rhee's policies and approach did not affect the test scores of the district and caused a low-employee moral across the district from Admin to Educators. Her idea's were unfounded in research and had no viable model to draw from. If she was confident in her policies, why did she resign? Arne Duncan's district also has failed to show gains in their lower quartile schools. There is no research to show that the educational direction on Rhee or Duncan is a viable model for developing effective teachers. There is amble research to show that the process actually hurts districts. The two are completely off target in reaching our lower schools and population in the measure of approach. "Waiting for Superman" is an example of the one sided, single minded approach of "business" people who think that education is a bottom line or a economic equation. FAIL for all involved.
Oct 22, 2010 12:07 PM
0 0 Report Abuse
postmodman wrote:
Ms. Rhee's policies and approach did not affect the test scores of the district and caused a low-employee moral across the district from Admin to Educators. Her idea's were unfounded in research and had no viable model to draw from. If she was confident in her policies, why did she resign? Arne Duncan's district also has failed to show gains in their lower quartile schools. There is no research to show that the educational direction on Rhee or Duncan is a viable model for developing effective teachers. There is amble research to show that the process actually hurts districts. The two are completely off target in reaching our lower schools and population in the measure of approach. "Waiting for Superman" is an example of the one sided, single minded approach of "business" people who think that education is a bottom line or a economic equation. FAIL for all involved.
Oct 22, 2010 12:07 PM
0 0 Report Abuse
pambondikatrinadog wrote: hey maryEllen elia you fat ●●●●●, THIS cretin and liar does not give you permission to continue on your trafficking, gambling connecte husband puerto rican albert path. This lady has nothing to brag about. DC schools are for ●●●●. And so is she. And so are you. And so was Clayton Wilcox the other thief and so is Janssen ... you're a lowlife thief who intimidates children and stalks their parents. Have you on video like five times. And man, you are FUGLY. Get a new face. And get fired. Thieves should be fired. People who do psychological damage to children and murder the principals of schools so they can traffick narcotics through the schools should be HUNG
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