Rhode Island Teachers Take the Blame

President Obama was praised by many during his campaign in his desire to change America’s schools. His vision for a change was two-fold – it would hold both teachers and parents accountable for a child’s education.  As the events in Central Falls, Rhode Island unfolded last week, causing all teachers and administrators at Central Falls High School to be fired, and earning praise from Obama’s Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, I have to question the President’s sincerity.

Last Tuesday, the Rhode Island Commissioner of Education approved a school district’s plan to fire all 88 teachers at Central Falls High School.  This move reflects what has been going around in cities across the country as school administrators aim to improve academic performance in some of the poorest communities in the nation. Even though this past school year saw multitudes more teachers fired in other cities – 229 in DC, for example – the firing of all 88 CFHS teachers promises to spark more attention and controversy as it is a blatant declaration by the school board and the RI Department of Education that teachers are the major contributor to low performance among students.

Source : http://cchronicle.com/2010/02/rhode-island-teachers-take-the-blame/