Hundreds Of D.C. Teachers Fired For Poor Evaluations

Nearly 400 teachers have been fired in Washington, D.C. since 2009 because a rigorous evaluation system found they weren't up to the job.

The latest round of firings occurred in August, when 98 D.C. teachers lost their jobs. There was little local outcry. Instead, the president of the teachers union praised the school system for softening some of the evaluation criteria.

Comprehensive evaluations are an important part of the national school reform movement. They also were a major point of contention in the seven-day long Chicago teachers' strike, which ended Tuesday.

In Washington, evaluations based in part on standardized tests have been used since 2009 to rate teacher performance, putting the city at the forefront of major school systems that are working to reform their personnel practices.