|
Rhode Island school rehires fired teachers
The Rhode Island school that attracted nationwide attention in February for its decision to fire its entire staff has reached a tentative agreement to rehire them. Rather than seeing it as a backtracking, both the district and teachers say the compromise benefits students and teachers alike.The mass firing that had been announced at Central Falls High School allowed teachers to reapply for their jobs, but only a limited number would have been rehired. It was part of an effort to try to turn around a chronically low-performing school, and teachers unions had severely criticized it. Under the new agreement, which was expected to be ratified by teachers on Monday, nearly 90 teachers, counselors, and other personnel will not have to reapply, but they will need to interview with the new principal and recommit to their jobs. The agreement also calls for a longer school day, targeted professional development for teachers, after-school tutoring, and a new evaluation system, among other changes. The district got the teachers to agree to all the conditions it had originally outlined and which teachers had rejected prior to the February firing. In fact, the new agreement includes even more concessions, notes Justin Cohen, president of the School Turnaround Group at Mass Insight Education in Boston Posted by: lotp 2010-05-18 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=296986 |