District education reform is dying. That’s the conclusion increasingly being reached by many residents. They may not be far off the mark — although D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson recently released a five-year strategic plan, dubbing it “A Capital Commitment.”
Among other things, they pledged to raise by 40 percentage points the test scores for students at the “40 lowest-performing schools”; reduce truancy and bullying; invest in struggling schools and new gifted-and-talented programs; and continue expansion of International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement programs.
“This plan will move us into the next phase of school reform, building on our recent successes and capitalizing on the dramatic population and economic growth our city has seen in recent years,” Gray said.
Henderson added that “Behind each of these goals are real, specific financial commitments that will help us build on the momentum we have seen over the past five years and move forward aggressively toward dramatic improvements.”
Dramatic. They love that word. It’s easy to get caught in the rhetorical swirl. It happened to me earlier this year when Henderson talked about the “common core” curriculum she was introducing. She told me “People will be happy with and about DCPS.”
But a bunch of people are unhappy.
Henderson has relaxed aspects of the evaluation regime she and predecessor Michelle Rhee fought to get approved by the union, which is the framework for merit-based pay. She is stripping librarians from small schools — many of which are so-called “struggling schools” — even as she laments high illiteracy rates.
And recently, the woman who is supposed to be the champion of traditional public schools wished out loud for the authority to create charters — as if the city doesn’t have enough. Perhaps she’s remaking D.C. Public Schools in New Orleans’ image.
“My goal is to have as many tools as possible at our disposal to make sure that we can provide excellent, innovative schools for all students,” Henderson said when I asked about her charter fantasies.
“By having a bigger toolbox, and using all the tools, we exponentially increase our ability to serve our students,” she added.
What does Henderson need?
She already has one of the largest budgets in DCPS history. Federal law allows her to restructure any school that has failed consistently to meet annual academic progress; that means she can demand the resignation of every administrator and teacher at such schools.
She can redesign the curriculum for any specific school. By law, she can declare an emergency, permitting her to bypass certain union rules. She can re-create a summer school model during the normal academic year, extending the instructional day to provide assistance to underperforming students. She can provide incentives like computers or basic in-home libraries to parents who commit to more active participation in their children’s school.
Henderson has more than enough tools. Does she have the willpower and courage to push through reforms? Or will she continue to blame the problem on too many schools?
Jonetta Rose Barras’ column appears on Monday and Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].
