School & District Management News in Brief

R.I. Board Backs Off Firings; Teachers Keep Their Jobs

By The Associated Press — June 07, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Central Falls, R.I., school board approved an agreement last week to let teachers at the city’s troubled high school keep their jobs after all were fired, closing a turbulent chapter that attracted national attention to the impoverished city.

The 5-1 decision by the school district’s board of trustees formally rescinds the February decision to fire every teacher and staff member as part of a plan to turn around the school, where only 7 percent of 11th graders tested proficient in math in the fall. The firings drew praise from President Barack Obama, who cited them as an example of holding schools accountable.

“It closes chapter one, and now we’re on to chapter two, which starts the process of real reform,” Superintendent Frances Gallo said after the vote.

Under a deal approved by the teachers’ union last week, the school day will be lengthened by half an hour, and teachers will be required to spend an hour tutoring students each week and to eat lunch with students once a week. They will also be subject to a more rigorous evaluation system, among other requirements.

All the teachers must still go through a brief screening process by June 14.

A version of this article appeared in the June 09, 2010 edition of Education Week as R.I. Board Backs Off Firings; Teachers Keep Their Jobs

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Teacher Perspectives: What is the Future of Virtual Education?
Hear from practicing educators on how virtual and hybrid options offer more flexibility and best practices for administrative support.
Content provided by Class
Reading & Literacy Webinar How Background Knowledge Fits Into the ‘Science of Reading’ 
Join our webinar to learn research-backed strategies for enhancing reading comprehension and building cultural responsiveness in the classroom.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion 5 Strategies to Empower Teachers to Be Leaders
Here’s how—and why—school leaders should improve their schools’ teacher-leadership approaches.
Matthew Finster & Amy Lamitie
3 min read
Illustration of a leader pointing to a compass.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Principals Head to Congress to Make a Case for More Support
Hundreds of principals are in Washington to lobby lawmakers. Their main agenda: mental health and recruitment and retention.
5 min read
The U.S. Capitol Dome
Principals from across the country are visiting Congress this week to advocate for more supports for mental health and staff recruitment and retention.
Patrick Semansky/AP
School & District Management Is the David Porn? Come See, Italians Tell Florida Parents
A Florida principal resigned after complaints about a lesson featuring Michelangelo’s the David.
3 min read
Michelangelo's marble statue of "David", is seen in Florence's Galleria dell' Accademia on May 24, 2004.
Michelangelo's marble statue of "David", is seen in Florence's Galleria dell' Accademia on May 24, 2004.
Fabrizio Giovannozzi/AP
School & District Management 3 Takeaways From Recent Educator Strikes
Support workers are using collective action to push for better working conditions. That activism can take several forms.
4 min read
Thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and Service Employees International Union 99 members rally outside the LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles on March 21, 2023. Thousands of service workers backed by teachers began a three-day strike against the Los Angeles Unified School District, shutting down education for a half-million students in the nation's second-largest school system.
Thousands of Los Angeles Unified School District teachers and Service Employees International Union 99 members rally outside the LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles on March 21, 2023. Thousands of service workers backed by teachers began a three-day strike against the Los Angeles Unified School District, shutting down education for a half-million students in the nation's second-largest school system.
Damian Dovarganes/AP