Fewer than 2 percent of the teachers in Montgomery and Fairfax county schools were ushered out for poor performance last year, a sign to some of overprotective unions, but to others of schools that work.
In traditionally dysfunctional D.C. schools, Chancellor Michelle Rhee got rid of nearly 270 teachers out of more than 4,000 total, or more than 6 percent, that were deemed ineffectual either for poor performance or failing to meet the certification requirements of No Child Left Behind.
For most of them, that meant failing to pass an exam in their subject area.
In Montgomery County, 23 of nearly 13,000 teachers were let go. In Fairfax, 28 of nearly 14,000 were shown the door, according to data from the human relations departments.
In the suburban systems — both among the largest in the nation and traditionally recognized for their quality — teacher-mentoring systems are in place to address the needs of struggling teachers. In recent years, such systems have become a driving piece of teacher-quality reform nationwide.
“In the districts that are doing a good job, one critical factor is the extent to which you’ll find the best teachers in the district involved in the process itself,” said Barnett Berry, president and CEO of the North Carolina-based Center for Teaching Quality.
In addition, Berry said, most teachers who are ineffective are often teaching outside of their subjects because of school shortages in areas like math, science and special education.
“A lot of the time, districts do not get rid of ineffective teachers because the teachers who would replace them are not any better, are not available, or would not work in the same condition for the salary being paid.”
Ultimately, however, it’s hard to say what a low number of firings means, said Neal McCluskey, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom.
“It’s possible that 98 percent of teachers in Montgomery and Fairfax are doing a great job,” McCluskey said. “But because teachers have ironclad union protection, there’s some suspicion.”
Unlike in D.C., unions in Fairfax and Montgomery have decent working relationships with the districts’ central offices.
“It can get tricky at times, especially if a teacher feels his or her performance exceeds what we’re seeing” said Kevin North, Fairfax’s assistant superintendent for human relations. “But overall, we have a cooperative relationship with the union, and both sides want to get to the truth.”
