Michelle Rhee an innovator, not so fast:
"When national newspaper columnists like Mr. Thomas L. Friedman, Mr. Nicholas Kristoff, Mr. Jonathan Capehart, and Ms. JoAnn Armao write about District of Columbia public schools, they do so from a position of intellectual arrogance. When newspaper editorial boards like those of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post publish editorials about DC public schools they do so from a distance of social deception."
While they will sit and meet with DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty or DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee and their "reform" supporters, they seem unwilling to sit and meet with District parents and community education advocates critical of Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee. Moreover, Chancellor Rhee appears willing only to preach her brand of education reform religion before faithful audiences and adoring national media. It is unfortunate even some local District reporters and news editors have resorted to selective reporting on DCPS test scores and accomplishments. Following the election of Mayor Fenty, reporting on District public education has been massive, but it has not been accurate, fair, and balanced.
Since the governance change of DCPS, Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee were given great deference to implement their reform efforts free of public participation or media scrutiny. Members of the public and parents who initially gave Chancellor Rhee the opportunity to lead and to succeed began to see what she was doing and spoke out against her policies were frozen out by Chancellor Rhee and ignored by reporters and news editors. Through the misrepresentation of test scores, Chancellor Rhee was viewed as a strong willed and faultless champion of reform.
"When national newspaper columnists like Mr. Thomas L. Friedman, Mr. Nicholas Kristoff, Mr. Jonathan Capehart, and Ms. JoAnn Armao write about District of Columbia public schools, they do so from a position of intellectual arrogance. When newspaper editorial boards like those of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post publish editorials about DC public schools they do so from a distance of social deception."
While they will sit and meet with DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty or DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee and their "reform" supporters, they seem unwilling to sit and meet with District parents and community education advocates critical of Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee. Moreover, Chancellor Rhee appears willing only to preach her brand of education reform religion before faithful audiences and adoring national media. It is unfortunate even some local District reporters and news editors have resorted to selective reporting on DCPS test scores and accomplishments. Following the election of Mayor Fenty, reporting on District public education has been massive, but it has not been accurate, fair, and balanced.
Since the governance change of DCPS, Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee were given great deference to implement their reform efforts free of public participation or media scrutiny. Members of the public and parents who initially gave Chancellor Rhee the opportunity to lead and to succeed began to see what she was doing and spoke out against her policies were frozen out by Chancellor Rhee and ignored by reporters and news editors. Through the misrepresentation of test scores, Chancellor Rhee was viewed as a strong willed and faultless champion of reform.