WTU in the News

MAY 17: DCPS prepares to ‘excess’ fewer than 350 teachers

BY EMMA BROWN, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

D.C. Public Schools officials say they anticipate sending fewer than 350 “excess” notices to teachers whose jobs have been eliminated because of budget cuts or changes to academic programs.

MARCH 28: Parents, concerned residents fight back

BARRINGTON M. SALMON, WASHINGTON INFORMER | LINK TO ARTICLE

For the past several years, parents in the District have agonized over school closings that have decimated the value of community schools and disrupted their children's lives.

MARCH 8: Rational decisions and heartbreak on school closings

MOKOTO RICH, NEW YORK TIMES | LINK TO ARTICLE

When it comes to school closings, the arguments may make sense on paper, but the reality is much messier.

MARCH 1: Next D.C. teacher contract could yield longer school days and year, Henderson says

EMMA BROWN, WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

The next D.C. teachers union contract will give principals and teachers greater flexibility to choose longer school days and a longer school year, Chancellor Kaya Henderson told the D.C. Council’s Education Committee on Friday.

FEBRUARY 6: D.C. school officials propose changes

TERIA ROGERS, AFRO-AMERICAN | LINK TO ARTICLE

D.C. school officials have proposed changes in graduation requirements and have finalized which schools are slated to be closed.

FEBRUARY 5: D.C. considers crackdown on cheating by teachers

ERIC P. NEWCOMER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

Teachers caught altering students' scores or answers on standardized tests administered District-wide could face serious penalties if legislation.

FEBRUARY 5: When it comes to D.C. employee raises, money isn't everything

MIKE DEBONIS, WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

Mayor Vincent C. Gray delivers his State of the District address Tuesday night, and — as I explained in Tuesday’s paper — he’ll be using the speech to explain how he plans to use burgeoning tax revenues to address long-deferred wants and needs.

JANUARY 30: School officials consider proposed graduation requirements

DOROTHY ROWLEY, WASHINGTON INFORMER | LINK TO ARTICLE

A proposal to increase the number of credits from 24 to 26 – including the expansion of requirements for the fine arts and physical education curriculums – for students attending District public high schools in order to graduate, is up for approval.

JANUARY 27: D.C. Council member David Catania takes charge of new Education Committee

EMMA BROWN, WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

Two weeks after taking the helm of the D.C. Council’s new Education Committee, David A. Catania walked through the front door of Burrville Elementary School and started asking questions.

JANUARY 24: D.C. school leaders concerned about proposed graduation requirements

RACHEL BAYE, WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

D.C. students would have to complete more art, music and physical education before they can graduate under a proposal by the DC State Board of Education.

JANUARY 19: New DCPS school closure plan released

JANE KREISMAN, EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

On January 17, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced her new school consolidation and reorganization plan for 2013-2014, a modified version of her massively unpopular school closure planfrom last year, the 'DCPS School Closings and the Displacement Equation, Feb, 2012.

JANUARY 9: Parents develop strategies to keep schools open

DOROTHY ROWLEY, WASHINGTON INFORMER | LINK TO ARTICLE

After weeks of rallying against District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson's controversial proposal to shutter 20 under-enrolled and low-performing schools, parents and community leaders are joining ranks to develop their own strategies for keeping the schools open.

JANUARY 8: How One STEM School Aims to Lower the Achievement Gap

CINDY HUANG, PBS | LINK TO ARTICLE

The U.S. is suffering from a shortage of applicants in the science, technology, engineering and math fields -- or STEM.

JANUARY 3: Michelle Rhee proud of controversial reform efforts in D.C.

RACHEL BAYE, WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

Former DC Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee says in a new documentary that she is proud of the reform efforts she initiated in 2007, measures that have been heavily criticized since before she left the District in fall 2010.

DECEMBER 18: Sandy Hook teachers: Heroes all teachers can admire

NATHAN SAUNDERS, WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

The events of Dec.14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., were shocking and unthinkable.

NOVEMBER 15: D.C. Teachers Union President Wants Charter Teachers To Organize

KAVITHA CARDOZA, WAMU | LINK TO ARTICLE

The head of the Washington Teachers Union, which represents educators in D.C.'s traditional public schools, wants to organize teachers in the city's charter school system as well.

NOVEMBER 14: After D.C. school-closure proposal, a flurry of activity

EMMA BROWN, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

A day after D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced her plan to close 20 schools, parents across the city signaled their intent to protest, labor leaders said they would push to unionize charter schools and charter-school advocates vowed to fight for control of vacated buildings.

SEPTEMBER 12: D.C. teachers asked to wear red in solidarity

MARTIN AUSTERMUHLE, DCIST | LINK TO ARTICLE

While kids in D.C. head to school for just another normal day, their counterparts in Chicago are likely staying home as unionized teachers enter a third day of a strike.

AUGUST 2: New rating system will put more D.C. teachers at risk

EMMA BROWN, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

More D.C. teachers will be at risk of losing their jobs for poor performance in coming years, under a revised rating system, even though standardized test scores will carry less weight in their job evaluations.

AUGUST 1: 98 D.C. teachers fired for poor performance

EMMA BROWN, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

D.C. school officials said Wednesday that 98 teachers were fired this week for poor performance, a large-scale dismissal that has become almost routine in the city but remains rare among school systems nationwide.

JUNE 29: Handful of DC teachers get jobs back

LISA GARTNER, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

A few of the teachers whose jobs were eliminated by D.C. Public Schools in May are being reinstated at their schools, while the teachers' union continues to work on "more than a dozen" additional cases of educators crying foul.

JUNE 26: Most D.C. high school graduates do not finish college in six years

LISA GARTNER, THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

Only 23 percent of students who graduate from D.C.'s public high schools end up graduating from college or any other postsecondary institution within six years, according to an estimate from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

JUNE 14: D.C. schools win $10 million in ‘What’s Possible’ grants to experiment with technology, extended day

BILL TURQUE, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

Fifty-nine District public schools, most of them the system’s lowest performers, will use $10 million in grants to experiment with extended days, technology and other initiatives to spur academic achievement, Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) and Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced Thursday.

JUNE 1: Chicago schools battle closely studied across country

NOREEN S. AHMED-ULLAH AND JOEL HOOD, CHICAGO TRIBUNE | LINK TO ARTICLE

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's star power within the Democratic Party has put a national spotlight on the fight over the future of public schools in Chicago and attracted support from education reform groups eager to see how much change can be effected in a pro-labor city.

MAY 24: Officials change rules for DC teacher evaluations; standardized test scores now to count less

BILL TURQUE, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

Standardized test scores, which weigh heavily in the annual evaluations of some D.C. teachers, could diminish in importance under new guidelines issued by the District’s state education agency.

MAY 23: D.C. urges schools to de-emphasize standardized testing for teacher evaluations

LISA GARTNER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

The District is changing the rules governing its teacher evaluations, encouraging public schools to reduce the emphasis on standardized test scores when rating their teachers.

MAY 16: Union yes! Jeff Thompson no?

ALAN SUDERMAN, WASHINGTON CITY PAPER | LINK TO ARTICLE

So how did Ward 5 Councilmember-elect Kenyan McDuffie pull off such a convincing victory last night? If you were within earshot of union leaders (or on their email list) you might have heard (or read) that the strong support of organized labor made the difference.

MAY 14: DCPS, union reach accord on teacher retirement

BILL TURQUE, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

It took nearly two years, but it appears that DCPS is finally prepared to comply with the early retirement provision of the contract it signed with the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU).

MAY 10: More disruption in DCPS

WASHINGTON INFORMER | LINK TO ARTICLE

There must be a Scrooge working for D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson. Why else would the announcement of a plan to layoff more than 300 D.C. school teachers come before the end of the school year and during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7 – 11?

MAY 10: D.C. chancellor’s plan includes longer school day and school closings

UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS | LINK TO ARTICLE

District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson introduced a five-year strategic plan calling for higher-achieving public schools with longer days and better graduation rates, but she warned that paying for improvements will require closing some schools.

MAY 9: In Ward 5, big shoes to fill?

ALAN SUDERMAN, WASHINGTON CITY PAPER | LINK TO ARTICLE

These elections, they never end! On Tuesday, Ward 5 voters will pick a replacement for convicted felon Harry Thomas Jr., who was recently sentenced to more than three years in prison for stealing public funds.

MAY 9: DCPS agrees to pay more than $10 million for excessed teachers

LISA GARTNER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

D.C. Public Schools has agreed to provide $1.7 million each year for the next six school years to provide early retirement benefits to teachers, The Washington Examiner has learned.

MAY 8: WTU’s Saunders: New Kaya Henderson reform plan lacks ‘candid assessment’ of student needs

BILL TURQUE, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

Washington Teachers Union President Nathan Saunders says Chancellor Kaya Henderson’s new five-year plan has the best of intentions.

MAY 7: Preschool, special-ed teachers among 333 cut employees

BILL TURQUE, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

About 133 teachers and librarians are expected to lose their jobs this summer as DC Public Schools cuts 333 positions, atop the 1,184 jobs cut in the previous three school years.

MAY 4: “Excessing” notices for 333 DCPS teachers

BILL TURQUE, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

This year, at least, they didn’t do it on National Teacher Appreciation Week. DCPS announced late Friday afternoon that it has sent annual “excess notices” to 333 teachers.

MAY 4: DCPS says 130 teachers could lose jobs

LISA GARTNER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

About 130 public school teachers in the District could lose their jobs after the city’s school system issued “excess notices” on Friday.

MAR. 6: ‘Creative ... motivating’ and fired

BILL TURQUE, WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

By the end of her second year at MacFarland Middle School, fifth-grade teacher Sarah Wysocki was coming into her own.

MAR. 1: Parents await answers on D.C. schools cheating case

GREG TOPPO AND MARISOL BELLO, USA TODAY | LINK TO ARTICLE

Almost a year after the District of Columbia began investigating schools for possible cheating on standardized tests, parents are still waiting for the findings, but the school system's leader says there was no widespread cheating.

FEB. 23: DCPS seeks authority to create charter schools

LISA GARTNER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

D.C. Public Schools is pursuing the authority to create charter schools and turn existing schools into charters, the schools chancellor said Thursday.

FEB. 23: D.C. mayor, schools chief discuss plan to restore city power to create charters

BILL TURQUE, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson are discussing a plan to restore the District’s power to create public charter schools as part of an effort to raise the quality of education in low-income communities.

FEB. 6: A grim report card on D.C. schools

EDITORIAL BOARD, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

A New Study of the District’s public schools has the teachers union bristling about jobs, defenders of traditional schools fearing further gains for charter schools and some neighborhoods worrying their schools will close.

FEB 2: D.C. parents, students support creation of 'community schools'

LISA GARTNER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

Parents, students and school officials voiced their support for legislation that would keep District schools open after-hours to provide medical services and learning opportunities to the surrounding low-income communities.

JAN 31: DCPS schools to become charters? Union sounds off

LISA GARTNER, WASHINGTON EXAMINER | LINK TO ARTICLE

Last week, D.C.'s deputy mayor for education released a report recommending that three dozen D.C. Public Schools campuses be closed or turned around, likely reinvented as charter schools.

JAN 31: IFF study of D.C. schools: The pushback begins

BILL TURQUE, THE WASHINGTON POST | LINK TO ARTICLE

Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright has encountered some sharply negative responses to the IFF study of school capacity in the nation’s capital.

JAN 23: Proposed Legislation Aims To Move Higher Performing DC Teachers To Lower Performing Schools

MATT ACKLAND, FOX5 | LINK TO ARTICLE

Money talks but will it help D.C. schools? That is the focus of a public hearing to improve some of the city's lowest performing schools.

JAN 19: WTU Recovers Teacher Annuity Fund

STAFF REPORT, WASHINGTON INFORMER | LINK TO ARTICLE

The Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) has recovered a $1.2 million Teacher Annuity and Aid Distribution Fund that was originally established in 1894 exclusively for white teachers.

JAN 14: Pay hike keeping teach on the job

RICH SHAPIRO, NY DAILY NEWS | LINK TO ARTICLE

Washington, D.C., public school teacher Tiffany Johnson is a “highly effective” educator — and saw her pay jump to $87,000 from $63,000 this past year as a result.