Gray skies ahead for D.C. public schools?

As candidates for mayor, incumbent Adrian Fenty and victor Vincent Gray, who will almost certainly replace Fenty as mayor in November, agreed on many issues. Gray, however, has been clear that he does not want to duplicate the uncommunicative atmosphere in which Fenty and D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee carried out their biggest reforms of the District’s flailing public schools. But, as he undertakes his own education plan, it is important that Gray does not let a more open process interfere with progress.

Rhee and Fenty may have consulted few outsiders when making DCPS policy, but their reform strategies worked. As a result of their initiatives, schools have seen double-digit improvements in standardized test scores in a span of only three years, and D.C. is the only major urban school district to see these kinds of gains. Gray must maintain this progress. If he replaces Rhee, which he almost certainly will, her successor must be equally willing to make tough, unpopular choices. After all of her success, it would be a shame if Gray nominated someone new who does not share Rhee’s understanding of what it takes to reform DCPS because he is afraid of offending other parties.

While Gray voted for mayoral control of the schools, he also received about $1 million from the American Federation of Teachers’, a group with a history of opposing reforms, such as 2009’s mass firings of underperforming teachers. Gray should not let their support during his campaign influence his decisions to support reforms that are necessary for improving D.C.’s school system.

Rhee was not the perfect chancellor. She was not transparent with teachers or students’ families about many of her decisions, including school closings and teacher firings. But to maintain the progress the city has made so far, D.C. needs a leader who is willing to upset those who are effectively defending the broken status quo. The next chancellor must be willing to accept the political costs of tough decisions.

Ideally, public school reform should transcend politics Unfortunately, in D.C. it does not. We hope that at the very least, Gray will choose a strong, reform-minded chancellor to replace Rhee, so that a critical mass of parents continue putting their children back in DCPS. (Soma) If the new chancellor fails to inspire confidence and enthusiasm, we could quickly see some of the critical improvements Rhee made disappear.