Michelle Rhee and StudentsFirst tackle persistent problems in public education
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8:04 AM on 04/25/2012
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Michelle Rhee received national attention after becoming the chancellor of Washington, DC public schools in 2007. Experiences as a public school teacher before founding an organization that placed teachers in classrooms informed the policies implemented during her term. Rhee's decisions to closely tie standardized test scores to teacher compensation and shut down underperforming schools made her leadership contentious; yet, her bold approach attracted the attention of municipalities looking for better methods. Now the founder and CEO ofStudentsFirst, Rhee currently uses her years of expertise to advise state governments on best practices and influence education policy.
Since 2010, StudentsFirst has grown to over one million members by the organization's count, and helped to pass "student-centered" ordinances in six states. Rhee spoke with theGrio about how putting teacher's needs above students' is a tragic mistake that can rob children of the American dream. Her message promoting child-focused policies is powerful at a time when rampant public school failures combined with shrinking budgets have spawned a search for
Stand ON Children First: New AstroTurf from Teacher in the Box
Just Like Michelle Rhee's Students first only BETTER
Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by innocent-sounding names that have been chosen specifically to disguise the group's true backers
