Rhee and The Teachers Union, Round 63....

Oh how I love this woman.  Michelle Rhee has fired 241 of the lowest-performing teachers in the District of Columbia (just under 4%) and the union is going to the mattresses.  The Rhee/Fenty team has decided that the District's schools can no longer be the nation's laughingstock--and they've done something about it. 

If Rhee were the CEO of a company, the measures she's taken to produce performance would be lauded universally.  But since public education is treated as a sinecure for the ineffective and inefficient, her actions invariably raise a ruckus.  I can't wait for the WaPost series on the honorable, hard-working teachers let go.

Note:  some 76 of the fired teachers were let go due to a lack of proper licensing required under No Child Left Behind.  This statistic is the most troubling one of the lot--I know this because I know a DC teacher who was let go as a result of a license issue in the early days of the Rhee administration.  Here's the deal--NCLB did in fact, create standards for teacher licensing; however, the District's IMPLEMENTATION of those rules defies common sense.  My friend was given an ultimatum in which she had to go and complete some three additional classes in order to be certified to teach in the District--when she could have taken the Metro to Virginia and qualified from day one.  You see, her MA in Teaching English as a Second Language was PAID FOR by NCLB, and the curriculum was developed specifically to address the provisions of NCLB for teacher certification.   Yet for some reason, DC added to the requirements, and the rest is history. 

Texas Textbook Conflagration

I haven't been paying too much attention to this story--thinking perhaps that it was really just another example of the power of the religious right in the South and not worth really diving into. When a lefty-former teacher of mine joined a group on Facebook called "1,000,000 People Against Texas Textbook Changes", I figured I needed to pay SOME attention to it.

So this morning, I read the linked to story above, and of course, the academics of our world have their panties in a wad over what Texas appears to be doing. So lets take a look at some of what is mentioned in the article, shall we?

1. The curriculum plays down the role of Thomas Jefferson among the Founding Fathers. I'm ok with this. TJ had a lot to do with the Declaration of Independence, but was in France for the Constitutional Convention (and wasn't too happy with what he heard was going on anyway). Recent historical inquiry into his behind the scenes political machinations and his likely personal relationship with his slave Sally Hemmings has Jefferson's stock down a bit, but it will probably rise someday.
2. Questions the separation of church and state. It should be questioned--because the phrase isn't mentioned in the Constitution. It is mentioned most prominently in a letter from the aforementioned Mr. Jefferson, but the Founding Fathers' view of the role of religion in public life is a far cry from what it has come to be interpreted as by largely 20th century Supreme Courts. The Constitution provides for freedom to practice and prohibits the government from "establishing" religion.....it does not prohibit creches in front of fire stations.
3. Communist infiltration of US government after WWII. This one really bothers the academy because well, they are just a little bit sensitive to Communist baiting. But the US Government WAS infiltrated by Communists and Venona DID give us some of that information.

Now that I've informed myself a bit more about this issue, I'll put it back under the file of things I care little about.