In this entry: quotes, warm up questions, discussion questions, resources
VIDEO SUMMARY:
In an ongoing series exploring how troubled school systems in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans are trying to fix their problems, NewsHour education correspondent John Merrow files this video report from Washington, where he checks in on a school system in transition.
Merrow's report focuses on Hart Middle School, where low student test scores have triggered the federal No Child Left Behind law that says it must undergo "drastic changes."
Hart is one of 27 schools in the District of Columbia that faces a reorganization because of poor test scores.
Hart's principal says his staff is demoralized and nervous that they will be out of a job.
Merrow talks at length with the woman responsible for making the changes, D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee. Rhee and Hart teachers and administrators give Merrow conflicting perspectives on how troubled Hart is and what should be done about improving the school.
At the end of the segment Merrow reports that Rhee decided to fire Hart's principal and hire a private management company to run the school.
QUOTES:
"A lot of people, I think, over the last few months have said, you know, "It's too much," or, "It's too fast," or both. But this is the kind of change that's necessary, the scope, the pace." - D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee
"The teachers that's already here, they're good teachers, so why are you trying to get rid of them?" - Tiffany Adams, Hart Middle School student
"It takes more than one year for you to come into a school district, and look at the problems, and assess the problems, and to begin to make a change." - William Lockridge, D.C. State Board of Education
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
What makes a school good? How can you tell if a school is quality or not? Are test scores an indication if a school is good or not? Why might a principal, a mayor, a teacher, a student and a parent all have different ideas about what makes a school good or not?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Compare Hart to your own school, are there similar problems at your school? If not, why do you think Hart is different from your school?
Think about the different perspectives of the teachers at Hart and Rhee. If they both want to help students learn better, why do they see the problem differently?
Do you think Rhee has a good plan? How should school administrators' help struggling students perform better? What influences a student's performance in school?
Do you think Rhee is competing against charter schools? Is it good or bad that parents can choose to send their kids to different schools?
Were you surprised to hear that Michelle Rhee decided to fire the principal? Why or why not?
RESOURCES:
Transcript of this
report
More Merrow Reports:
New Orleans School Reforms Target Young Readers
Leaders Struggle to Bolster New Orleans Schools
Washington, D.C., Schools Chief Faces Tough Choices
D.C. Schools Chief Rhee Faces High Expectations for System Reform
Rhee's Web site
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