How's This For Closing The Loop?

(2010, February 24). Teachers fired for poor performance. State of Ohio Education. Retrieved on February 27, 2010 from http://www.stateofohioeducation.com/2010/02/teachers-fired-for-schools-poor.html

The school board at Central Falls High School, Rhode Island supported the superintendent’s recommendation and voted (5-2) to dismiss the entire faculty and staff members, over 100 individuals, due to chronic poor performance on Tuesday, February 23, 2010! This is the only public school in this small town, which is just west of the Massachusetts border. Central Falls is one of the lowest-achieving
high schools in the province and had a four-year graduation rate of 48%.

Evidently, when the emotional board meeting ended, the board went into closed session and board members were not available to comment on the issue. The plan also included a new structure for school governance, requiring all new high school teachers to participate in professional development activities aimed at meeting the federal standards.

Negotiations have been ongoing between Superintendent, Dr. Francis Gallo and the teachers’ union. Dr. Gallo stated that she chose a “turnaround” plan, one of four offered by the state, after the union rejected previously presented conditions calling for increased hours without salary increases. According to Dr. Gallo, “Union leadership went too far because I would not commit to monetary incentives.” Teachers and union leaders are claiming the Dr. Gallo and the board had not “bargained with them in good faith”.

This is an extreme example of closing the loop! Assessment and evaluation definitely made an impact on individual faculty and staff performance. It should be interesting to see how this story plays out in history.

Carla