Julia Steiny: Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee Throws Gas on Ed Reform Hostilities
Thursday, January 24, 2013
As the Chancellor of the D.C. schools, Rhee posed for the 2008 cover of Time Magazine looking witchy with a broom, symbolizing her efforts to sweep bad teachers and policies away. The Students First report grades states according to their implementation of her take-no-prisoners policies, some of which are good, and others baseless. (Yes, hire and maintain staff by merit, not seniority. But tying teacher pay to test scores does not improve achievement.)
Curiously, Louisiana and Florida emerge as educational stars, while Vermont, elsewhere considered a pretty good place to educate a kid, is an embarrassment.
So I examined their system for calculating the grades and lo! Brownie points go to states that annually grade schools with "A" through "F" letters. I laughed out loud. They justify their own right to call states names by applauding those states also engaged in routine "D" and "F" name-calling. By that measure, if only more states would rush the public to ugly conclusions, the fur could really fly.
Hey kid, you go to a "D-" school, you loser. How does that make you feel? Your "D-" so bummed your teachers out, they're trying to bail out of the building to get away from you. It's your fault, so quit whining and do your science work.
Do people seriously think the kids don't notice?
Report cards have become all the rage among states and ed. reformers. In a convenience society, "A" through "F"
