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James Boutin is a talented young teacher. He’s precisely the type of young professional who Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee have been so eager to recruit into District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). But after one year at Columbia Heights Educational Campus, Boutin is leaving DCPS to teach in New York City’s public school system.
“I decided that what was going on in D.C. was a big political game. It doesn’t seem to me that any real efforts towards improving education are really going on,” Boutin said. While he does not dispute that reform has taken place throughout DCPS under Fenty and Rhee, Boutin feels that it has done more harm than good. “I think there has been reform. I think things have changed in Washington, D.C. But I think things are changing for the worse,” Boutin said.
Not enough attention has been paid to Rhee’s Great Disappearing Act. In less than four years, Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has rid DCPS of an incredible number of principals, para-professionals, and teachers, like James Boutin. For the hundreds who have been fired, there has been some media attention. But for the many others who have had to quit under Rhee, their departures have been met with silence. Continue reading →
