Yet consider the socioeconomic conditions of the children in the district.
"Central Falls High is one of the lowest-performing schools in Rhode Island. It is in a community where median income is $22,000, census figures show.
Of the 800 students, 65 percent are Hispanic and for most of them, English is a second language. Half the students are failing every subject, with 55 percent skilled in reading and 7 percent proficient in math, officials said."
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-02-24/us/rhode.island.teachers_1_teachers-union-troubled-school-reading-specialists?_s=PM:USColor me skeptical, but I don't think hiring all new teachers is going to change the fact that many of these kids are coming to school hungry and stressed out. Many started school very far behind kids from richer school districts. The research show that school readiness is a significant indicator of later performance. A kid where the parents speak little or no English is going to have a huge disadvantage from the start.
It's really time to stop scapegoating teachers and address our society's ills.