Michelle Rhee's Latest Wall Street Journal Op-ed: Updated

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In today's Wall Street Journal, Michelle Rhee published an op-ed about New York state's refusal to overturn the policy of "last in, first out" (LIFO). It mandates that the last teachers hired must be the first teachers fired, regardless of how good they are.

Last week, the New York Senate passed a bill that would make a teacher's performance a key factor when layoffs are required. Following that, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced a bill that would address the issue of how we define performance, but was entirely silent on the subject of how layoffs are conducted. And with 5,000 teacher layoffs headed toward New York City alone, the harmful policy of LIFO remains firmly in place. 

Michelle wrote: 

According to a recent Quinnipiac University survey, 85 percent of New Yorkers support ending the last in, first out policy. Four major editorial boards in New York City have called for ending the practice. We need Gov. Cuomo to do more than just say he's for reforming it. We need him to actually put forth a bill that eliminates it immediately.

Update: Here is the WSJ piece:

With looming budget cuts, New York's governor and legislature must act quickly to save our best teachers. It is abundantly clear from the research that the most important school factor in determining a child's success is the quality of the teacher at the front of the classroom. That's why it's absolutely imperative that state leaders completely eliminate the "last in, first out" policy, which mandates that the last teachers hired must be the first fired, regardless of how good they are.

This policy makes absolutely no sense. Why sacrifice our children's future when we can enact laws that save great teachers while ridding the system of those we know are less effective?

The state Senate passed a bill last week that moves to make performance a key factor when teacher layoffs are required. In addition, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has now introduced legislation that addresses the important issue of how we define effective performance, but it is silent on layoffs. While the governor's bill is an encouraging step to improve teacher evaluation, it does nothing to address the critical issue we face today. Up to 5,000 layoffs are soon to come in New York City alone, and right now the antiquated policy of "last in, first out" remains in place.

Why sacrifice our children's future when we can enact laws that save great teachers while ridding the system of those we know are less effective?

There is no doubt that teachers need fair and rigorous evaluation systems. The governor's bill addresses a longstanding problem that has made it difficult for districts to objectively identify areas of strength and help adjust instructional practices to drive student achievement. It is an incredibly important reform that teachers have been asking for, and it should stand in any final legislation. But his bill needs to include a solution to address the devastating impact of layoffs expected this spring.

The state Senate bill lays out objective criteria to determine who gets to stay in the classroom. In New York City there exist three categories of teachers who should be the first considered for layoffs: those who have lost their full-time status and have been reassigned as substitutes, those with excessive absences without medical excuse, and those who have received an unsatisfactory rating. If everyone in these three buckets were let go, it would take care of layoffs this year while protecting the 1.1 million kids in New York City's public schools.

According to a recent Quinnipiac University survey, 85% of New Yorkers support ending the last in, first out policy. Four major editorial boards in New York City have called for ending the practice. We need Gov. Cuomo to do more than just say he's for reforming it. We need him to actually put forth a bill that eliminates it immediately.

Ms. Rhee was chancellor of the public school system in Washington, D.C., from 2007-2010. She is founder and CEO of StudentsFirst, a national organization to defend the interests of children in public education.

Below please find a claim by the horse herself (as in the horse's mouth, not that she resembles a horse.  I don't stoop that low, even if she does look like one, and I'm not saying she does) about membership numbers.