Those Who Can’t Do Make Educational Policies

Michelle Rhee, the DC Public School’s Chancellor with the brief and questionable teaching record, has proposed a new plan to eliminate teacher seniority. According to the Washington Post, under Rhee’s new plan, teachers will be classified into two “tiers” - red and green. Teachers who choose to stay in the red tier will continue to receive “traditional raises and would maintain tenure.” Teachers who choose to enter the green tier “would receive thousands of dollars in bonuses and raises.”

Teachers in the green tier would be evaluated “early” and would only be able to continue in their jobs if they raised test scores and “passed an evaluation.”

An evaluation huh…?

So, I’ve been thinking about the concept of administering such an evaluation, and I came up with a great way to test it out:

Give it to Wendy Kopp.

Kopp is of course the founder of Teach for America, the program that spawned the likes of Rhee. Given Kopp’s embarrassing performance on The Charlie Rose Show, it would be a lot of fun to see how she does.

I would imagine that it would go something like this:

1. State one pedagogical practice that you feel has significantly increased student performance.

Kopp: Uhm that’s a good question. Let me tell you a story about Jean Smith, a Teach for America member who is doing great things in her elementary classroom.

2. How do you incorporate Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences into your teaching?

Kopp: Wow. We talk about this all the time. Let me just give you an example of Harry Burns, a Teach for America member who I was just talking to.

3. Discuss the German influence on the current model of public school education:

Kopp: Uhhh… We have a lot of German teachers in Teach for America. I was just talking to Klauss, who teaches in an inner city school in Harlem.

4. What cognitive skills should a child of ten years be able to perform?

Kopp: Wow. Good question. Let me just start by telling you that after teaching for two years, Teach for America members really understand that all kids really can learn. I was talking to Joseph, a corp member from the Bronx, who really thinks this.

5. How do you apply Brain Based Research to educational practices and what are your feelings about its relevance?

Kopp: So here’s the thing about our alumnus. They come out of their two years experience understanding that there is no simple solution. Let’s take Henry for example. I was just talking to him, and he tells me that all kids have brains.

6. Explain Lee Cantor’s concept of Assertive Discipline and jusitfy or discount its merits.

Kopp: Wow. When it comes to discipline, there’s no greater expert than Chancellor Rhee. When she was teaching some really scary inner city second graders, she got them in line by murdering an insect and swallowing it in front of them. Now that’s assertive discipline!

So what do think? Did she pass?

These are the people who are influencing our educational system.

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