Michelle Rhee's Education

Professor: Jeffries Portia
English 101
May 15, 2013
Right form of educating children The PBS Frontline documentary, The Education of Michelle Rhee, pursues reforming school systems in Washington D.C from 2007 to 2010. The school reforms were led by a new Korean 37-year-old chancellor, Michelle Rhee, who had never run a school district or been a principal but had been teaching at one of the lowest performing schools in Manhattan for ten years. At Harlem Park Elementary School, she had succeeded in raising her students’ scores from 22% to 52% in math and from 14% to 48% in reading in a year. Therefore, there were high expectations that she could make the same changes at low level schools in D.C when she was hired by newly elected mayor, Adrian Fenty. Her strategies were the following—examine each principals’ effectiveness, cut budgets in some areas and use them in others, and fire teachers if they failed to raise student test scores. I was shocked when I first saw the situation at the school that captured by Frontline. Almost all the students were black and they were screaming and running around in the building, dancing hip-hop with loud music in the center of cafeteria, and other kids are jumping on chairs and tables. They were totally out of control, and were just like five-year-old brats to me. Therefore, I was disappointed in the fact, but at the same time, I expected Michelle Rhee very much to make fantastic changes. The first step she had done was to interview every single principal one on one with each schools’ ten years test score history to compare the gain since the principal had been there. If the rate had been raised up, she nicely asked the principals “You are doing great, what can I do for you,” but if not, she threatened that if the principal would not raise the rate, they would need to leave. I think this is not a difficult request unless Rhee demands them too high score. The next question was this, “what academic gains can you guarantee for this year?” The face when she asked them seemed she scared the teachers, but it was the perfect question to test the principals whether they have ambition, a vision, and a plan, or not. Overall, I think this interview was successful because it motivated teachers, and Rhee could get know more about each principals. Before the school started, she went to a warehouse to examine the cause of the fact that there weren’t enough textbooks which she heard from teachers and principals. Surprisingly, when she got there, she saw a lot of products -- scissors, glues, pencils, composition books and so on. There were tons of boxes that probably haven’t provided to teachers and even not opened yet for years. Which was a big waste, and indeed the workers’ were doubted. Michelle Rhee surveyed the cause and revealed that the workers are not serving well, they grant requests and give information only when they feel like it. Therefore, Michelle Rhee’s begun to reform the system. She fired 121 workers at central office which rate reaches 15% of the initial workers. If the school bureaucracy is possible to manage well without the 15% of initial workers, the 121 workers were just a waste and her decision was right and brave even though it takes time to get agreements from other people. On the other hand, if this made big lack to the managing, it would increase oppression from others and maintaining her position would be difficult. What a tough matter, Worker’s right or reducing expenditure. She says, “this is about educating children, not about hiring or maintaining someone’s job,” “We don’t run the schools, we serve the schools. If you are not performing, then you cannot work here,” and also “We’re not running this school district through the democratic process. This is not a democracy.” Yes, she has good points of viewing school management. However, in this complicated society, if someone tries to force one thing, other things start going wrong. In addition, she is correct that U.S.A. is not a democracy, but it doesn’t mean she could ignore citizen’s opinion. For example, in this case, the people working there were maybe deserve to be fired, but the sudden big decision gave people confusion, panic and makes them think she wasn’t serious to make the decision. Therefore, no matter the decision’s correctness, she should have explained well and convinced as many people as possible. The method she used to raise students’ achievement had more pressure on principals and teachers, which result involved cash rewards or losing their posts. She told the principals that they would receive $10,000 for each person, assistant principals for $9,000, and also Teachers for $8,000. Now, we saw another budget. She saved money by firing 121 office workers, and spent it to let teachers competed to raise their students’ score in order to get money prize. What an aggressive way, and is this the method used by whom said School is not supposed to be ran? I believed she meant school exists to educate children, not a business or even attempt teachers by cash bonus to be more ambitious. However, surprisingly the results indicated that it worked. The results of DC CAS at the beginning of her second year showed 8 % gain in reading at the elementary levels, an 11% gain in math. In addition a 9 % gain in reading at the secondary levels likewise 9% gain in math. Moreover, Aiton Elementary School especially showed great gains – 29% increase in reading and a 42 %increase in mathematics. Bill Turque of Washington Post revealed that the answer sheets showed an unusually many number of answers erased, then changed from wrong to right. What a shame. Teachers’ cheating scandal? Then, who should students learn from. The teachers are racked morality, integrity, and teaching manner. Thus, it may causes students not only rack of education but also causes misanthropy. When the children grew up, how they would behave. Because of racked knowledge, it would be hard to get a job. Because of experiencing teacher’s cheating, they may use wrongful conduct in their pinch. Because they weren’t evaluated correctly, they would not expect anything or hope to be expected. Overall, Rhee’s strategy was failure this time, because of her short-sighted. Rhee should have considered this kind of affair could happen when she planed it. For the remaining years, she was just a trouble, she was just making mess in the society with arbitrary. She unwillingly hired investigator to survey evidence for the cheating scandal, and avoid to admit the fact secretly and keep denied to reveal it. In addition, despite of the promise that evaluate principals 100% by DC CAS results, she fired a principals who reached over her standardization, plus she fired 24 employees in the first year. Moreover, from the second year, she made a new evaluation system to make it more objective. She reduced rating limit to 50% from DC CAS and she gave each principals a power to fire their ineffective teachers, which made teachers feel more threatened. Furthermore, she ignored the order from government to close the summer school to cut the budget but she ignored, because she thought it was important thing for educating children. However, she closed 24 of half empty schools. In addition, she hired 900 teachers in the summer, but found out a budget was shortfall so she laid off 229 people of them. Therefore, now I agree with the Protestants. She doesn’t have enough ability to accomplish reform. I understand, it is very tough work to have done it without experience of being chancellor before or belonging to government. However, her decisions were sometimes thoughtless and irresponsible. She forced her way with her strong belief that the students are certainly getting achieved it, but it wasn’t successful. The oppressions were gradually increased and from the end of the first year she seemed she was struggling. Thus, finally she was kicked out from her post with her greatest back upper, Adrian Fenty. After she left, the security was tightened during having the DC CAS, Aiton’s scores had dropped 40%, and Raymond’s for 25%, which is the obvious proof that Rhee’s threatening teachers was making teachers cheated. As a result, Rhee’s school reform ended with the worst. The origin, in my opinion, was in her view of reforming schools. She was focusing more on economizing rather than raising students’ achievements. Rather than think about which money spent waste, she should have pursued the root causing the problem of poor performance. For example, from the test results, examine the individual’s mistakes and find out their poor skills. Then, sum up the data of individual’s poor skills, then divide the students in classes that has similar level. Next, let them concentrate to conquer their weak point besides classic class schedule. It doesn’t have to be as same as my idea, but the important thing is to let them know what is their week point, give them opportunity to overcome it, and expect them to do well. Children’s are passive, sincere, and has flexible brain. If adults show them good behavior, they will follow them. If adults expect them, they will meet it. The success of key to cultivate children is not by changing systems, what they expect you to do is to face them.