Rhode Island School Firings May Lead the Charge

One of the most troubled school districts in the state of Rhode Island has long been Central Falls. Only 7% of the 11th graders who were tested last fall proved to be proficient in math. Only 33% tested proficient in writing, and only 55% in reading. According to state records, fewer than half of all Central Fall students graduate in four years. Who is to blame for these dire statistics?

According to the Central Falls school board, it's the teachers. So in February they voted to fire 93 teachers from the high school upon the end of the school year. Under federal rules, no more than half of the staff would be able to be hired back.

Twenty percent of the students in Central Falls live in poverty, and many in the immigrant community struggle with learning English. Central Falls Superintendent Fan Gallo told reporters that the schools lose 52% of students between 9th grade and 12th grade. To remain eligible for federal aid, the school district had to come up with a plan to increase student aptitude, and they had two choices - either develop a plan to improve the performance of the teachers, or fire the entire faculty and start over. The administration tried to work out something with the teachers union by offering extra training for teachers or a longer school day. But the two sides could not reach an agreement on how much more money they teachers would receive for putting in extra time to improve school performance. The state's Commissioner of Education ordered Gallo to choose a reform option - one of which was mass firings.

During negotiations, as the threat of the firings loomed closer, the union began to fight back with an online video that featured students getting upset at a school board meeting. Teachers in the union said that some of the teachers at the high school had grown up in the community, and the school board's plans would set back the community and ruin the cohesiveness, and it would be horrible for students. They claimed that the last thing students wanted was disruptions.

One teacher at a Rhode Island school where all the teachers were fired retaliated by hanging an effigy of Barack Obama upside down. The effigy was holding a sign saying, "Fire Central Falls teachers," purportedly because of Obama's comments that the firings in Central Falls were an example of how school systems should hold teachers accountable for failing schools. Obama had said during a weekly radio address, "If a school is struggling, we have to work with the principal and the teachers to find a solution. We've got to give them a chance to make meaningful improvements. But if a school continues to fail its students year after year after year, if it doesn't show any sign of improvement, then there's got to be a sense of accountability." The union quickly condemned the hanging of the effigy. The teacher that hung the effigy has since apologized to his students, and has asked Gallo if he will be allowed to apologize to the school board in writing.

The move to fire the teachers, the principal, and the staff of Central Falls High is part of a dramatic plan for turning around the failing school statistics. Advocates of the approach say that carrying through with it will remove ineffective teachers and change the existing culture that makes it hard for good teachers to be effective. But the teachers feel like scapegoats, because there is no clearcut research proving that the mass firings will change anything. So the union is offering now to agree to several changes, including a longer school day and providing tutoring for students. So Gallo has indicated that she may be willing to negotiate with the union, but in the meantime the firings will still be in effect unless a deal is reached.

The American Enterprise Institute believes that Rhode Island has set a precedent that other states may follow. The dramatic example of Rhode Island shows that it may be essential to "clean house" to get rid of schools that fail persistently, and the superintendents and state commissioners that are no longer willing to listen to any excuses from teachers and staff may be just the shock that is needed by the educational system in the United States.