More on the DC IG who’s investigating the cheating scandal on Rhee’s watch
The DC Inspector General is said to be wrapping up his probe on the cheating scandal under Rhee's watch. Here's some analysis of IG Willoughby. It runs the gamut from "lapdog to corrupt pols," "not a prosecutorial type," "asleep at the switch," not "up to the task." And here's another: "If you want to bury something," one former District legal official told me, "send it over there. Willoughby is not a prosecutorial type, not an investigator. When he gets in a political thicket, he's not willing to stick his neck out. "Anybody take a wild guess what this man's probe will show?
The parallels between Michelle Rhee and ALEC’s priorities
Let's have a look at the parallels between Michelle Rhee's priorities and ALEC's. - ALEC and Rhee support teacher evaluations in which fifty percent of the total score is comprised of student test scores, the implementation of “mutual consent” transfer policies, and the weakening of teacher tenure (Rhee calls for its elimination); - ALEC and Rhee support Parent Trigger legislation; - ALEC and Rhee back alternatives to traditional teacher certification; - ALEC promotes vouchers through means-tested eligibility or universally. Rhee favors means-tested vouc... more »
Rhee’s astroturf ops gets a letter: Dear Ms. Rhee…
"Dear Ms. Rhee, Please STOP sending mail to this address. First of all, you are not “my friend”. I work as a public school teacher and have for nearly 25 years. Wouldn’t that make ME one of your targets, a public school slacker? ....I feel that your solicitations, and I have received 3 so far, are inappropriate for the workplace. I have no intention of donating $10 to your Political Action Committee or you rconsulting firm – however you wish to define your money-making scheme today. Remove my name from your list permanently. Amy Bisson"
Get rid of teachers or encourage them to stay — what is best for our schools?
"Anyone who has followed reform efforts in D.C. knows that student achievement over the past five years, as measured by test scores, has been unimpressive under strategies begun by Rhee and continued by her successor, Kaya Henderson. There have been slight ups and downs in test scores, but little that’s statistically significant. The achievement gap based on race and poverty has actually widened significantly. Additionally, a system-wide cheating scandal in 2009 under Rhee, that has yet to be investigated, has thrown a pall on all the data. In D.C., however, what has been stunning an... more »
Diane Ravitch: I don’t understand Michelle Rhee. She enjoys hurting people
"Of all the images of Rhee, the one that sticks in my head is when she invited a PBS film crew to watch her fire a principal. She said to the crew: "I'm going to fire somebody in a little while. Do you want to see that?" Of course they did, and they filmed it. It was then that I realized that she enjoys hurting people. She enjoys watching people suffer."
Parsed & Shredded: The Incoherent Reform of Michelle Rhee
*Jazzman parses & shreds Rhee's incoherent radio interview. * "Teachers and parents, know this: Michelle Rhee is "absolutely" wrong when she claims she champions children better than you do. She places primacy on the teacher, yet she supports policies, but her own admission, that will do nothing to get and keep great teachers in classrooms. Her entire agenda is designed to denigrate the profession of teaching and remove workplace protections, even as she claims to value the very profession. She is incoherent, and she should not be driving the national dialogue about education; she sh... more »
Why is Rhee’s astroturf using a fake front name in Connecticut?
"No explanation or reference about why GNEPSA is the fake front name for StudentsFirst. So much for public disclosure. If you want to know what Michelle Rhee and her group are spending in Connecticut you have to know they are attempting to “fulfill the provisions of the law” by filing under a different name. Oh, and it turns out that over the last 8 – 9 weeks, Michelle Rhee has spent $355,861. $252,000 of that is for her television ads and for raising money and $10,000 or so related to the March 14th rally and getting their operation up and running in Connecticut. Spending that much... more »
PR blitz continues: Rhee on WNYC this morning to promote her new lobbying outfit
Michelle Rhee will be on the Brian Lehrer show today at 10AM EST. NYC residents suggest that you ask her about demonizing teachers, Koch links, and her DC testing scandal: *212-443-9692* Here’s what one New York City parent had to say about Rhee’s newest front group: “*I couldn't help but notice that "Students First NY" actually gives Sacramento, CA as its address. Listen, if you don't live in the state, if you don't have children in the system, you really don't deserve a voice. If you don't have skin in the game, you shouldn't get to call the shots. …* *Here's what parents want: a... more »