When Chancellor Kaya Henderson took the reins of D.C. Public Schools in November, critics wondered if she was tough enough to push the education reforms of the notoriously abrasive Michelle Rhee.
But 206 teacher layoffs — and the style in which Henderson delivered the news — reveal her as a committed successor to the Rhee reforms, observers say.
The school system laid off 413 employees Friday, including 206 teachers who received poor ratings on Impact, a controversial teacher evaluation tool developed by Henderson when she served as Rhee’s deputy chancellor, and introduced into the schools last year.
| Separations | ||||||
| WTU* | Non-WTU | 2010 Total | WTU | Non-WTU | 2011 Total | |
| Ineffective | 75 | 60 | 135 | 65 | 48 | 113 |
| 2x Minimally Effective | n/a | n/a | n/a | 141 | 34 | 175 |
| Unplaced after a year | n/a | n/a | n/a | 21 | n/a | 21 |
| Issues with license | 39 | 37 | 76 | 94 | 10 | 104 |
| Total | 114 | 97 | 211 | 321 | 92 | 413 |
| *Washington Teachers’ Union | ||||||
Sixty-five teachers were pink-slipped for “ineffective” ratings — determined by students’ test scores, gains and classroom observations — while an additional 141 teachers were jettisoned for a second consecutive “minimally effective” rating.
Last year, 126 teachers were let go for “ineffective” ratings on the evaluation tool; those deemed “minimally effective” were given another year to improve their performance to “effective” or “highly effective.”
“The future of Impact is strong,” said Jason Kamras, chief of human capital for the school system. “Of the teachers rated ‘minimally effective,’ one-third left the school system, one-third were terminated today, and one-third actually improved. Now that we know who they are, we’re asking, ‘What pieces of professional development are most important to you?’ ”
This year, 1,213 educators — including 663 teachers — were identified as “highly effective,” making them eligible for enormous pay raises and bonuses; last year, 40 percent of these educators turned down the raises, which require teachers to sign away some of their job security.
David Pickens, the executive director for D.C. School Reform Now, said Henderson has kept in step with Rhee’s reforms even while softening her approach to polarizing decisions.
“The real breakdown [with Rhee] was a disregard for the individual that this was being implemented on,” Pickens said. “Kaya has learned from that. She’s more measured about what she does.”
When Henderson took office, George Parker, then-president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, praised her as a gentler, kinder leader whom he came to know across the bargaining table.
Parker has since been unseated by Nathan Saunders, who criticized Henderson’s Friday rollout of the evaluations as a surprise attack against the union.
“Of course, part of the process of launching an initiative while your opponent is asleep is the element of surprise, and not giving them enough notice,” Saunders said. “I received less information than what the press received. A lot of members do not even know they have been terminated.”
Saunders said he expected to be “flooded” with inquiries from concerned teachers, including 21 who received positive Impact evaluations but whom DCPS could not find placements for.
“I might have to wear my skates to work, because there’s going to be a lot of activity,” he said. “Then you’re going to hear the real stories of people.”
Staff Writer Leah Fabel contributed to this report.
