More, still, on the meaning of Rhee
Mo Udall, the late Arizona congressman and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, once observed: "Everything has been said, but not everyone has said it." That goes for the education commentariat, which continues to ponder the significance of Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's departure. National Journal has rolled out some of its favorite "insiders" to offer their takes.
Tom Vander Ark, a partner in Revolution Learning, a private equity investor with a focus on education, said the fate of Rhee and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty underscores the limits of mayoral control of school districts and argues for an all-charter system:
"Mayoral control is a small improvement on dysfunctional urban school governance," he wrote. "It's great when, like in Boston, New York or Chicago you get a decade long dynamic duo, but we just saw the
