Michelle Rhee didn't waste any time firing the worst 4% of DC's teachers – and putting another 17% on notice.  It will be a great day in America where it's routine (rather than headline news) when ineffective-to-horrific teachers aren't automatically rehired each year:

D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee announced Friday that she has fired 241 teachers, including 165 who received poor appraisals under a new evaluation system that for the first time holds some educators accountable for students' standardized test scores.

"Every child in a District of Columbia public school has a right to a highly effective teacher -- in every classroom, of every school, of every neighborhood, of every ward, in this City," Rhee said in a statement, announcing the first year of results from the revamped evaluation, known as IMPACT . "That is our commitment. Today . . . we take another step toward making that commitment a reality."

Dismissals for performance are exceedingly rare in D.C. schools -- and in school systems nationwide. Friday's firings mark the beginning of Rhee's bid to make student achievement a high-stakes proposition for teachers, establishing job loss as a possible consequence of poor classroom results.

The Washington Teachers' Union said Friday that it will contest the terminations.

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Rhee dismisses 241 teachers in the District; Union vows challenge Firings are result of new evaluations

By BILL TURQUE

http://professional.wsj.com/article/TPWP00000020100724e67o0000p.html