Where Fenty Should Lead the Schools

He could move to decertify the American Federation of Teachers as the sole representative of Washington's teachers. Its arcane work rules inflate costs, undermine accountability and kill the spirit of excellence. Good teachers don't need labor unions, and no teacher needs tenure.

He could redeem 5 million square feet of wasted classroom space by placing the entire inventory of the District's distinguished but decrepit schoolhouses in an independent real estate trust -- attracting private investment and making them available to all public schools.

He could use one of those buildings for a new National Center for School Leadership -- a place to inspire and equip a new generation of principals for the visionary and tough-minded on-site leadership that alone can ensure high-performance schools.

The tragedy of the present system is not the high cost to taxpayers but the steep price paid by their children. A generation of young Washingtonians has already been lost, and another is being sacrificed on the altar of political cowardice. Fenty should take steps to establish a system that will provide the academic skills, cultural literacy and civic virtue needed for college and for life.

-- T. Robinson Ahlstrom

Washington

The writer is headmaster of the Washington Latin School. His e-mail address istr@washingtonlatin.org.