This Week In Education: Thompson: Rhee Defenders Increasingly Desperate

This Week In Education: Thompson: Rhee Defenders Increasingly Desperate:

Thompson: Rhee Defenders Increasingly Desperate

by john thompson

I can't deny my enjoyment of Michelle Rhee's fall from grace.  It is also fun to witness the convoluted spin of her defenders, as her duplicity is further documented.
Despite what he says in "More Rhee!," Andrew Rotherham must realize that Richard Kahlenberg is correct and we have two ways of testing whether Rhee's theories could work.  Schools in the American South, where unions are not powerful, have lower student performance.  Surely, Rotherham knows that his next argument strengthens Kahlenberg's case.  If we were to "blind taste test schools between different labor contexts (eg Maryland and Virginia for instance)," he writes," you’d have a hard time knowing what state you’re in."
Rotherham correctly questions many of the  "various rules, regulations, and practices[that] are codified in state law."  Those frustrating regulations are legacies of complicated dilemmas created by a

Reform: DFER Vs. StudentsFirst, One Headline At A Time

by Alexander Russo

Think that all reform groups are alike?  Take a look at how StudentsFirst and DFER blogged out the results of the latest study on charter schools in Michigan:
From StudentsFirst: "Michigan charters making progress, great option for parents, more work remains"

From DFER*: "Charter school growith in Michigan brings cautionary tale on quality"

*Passing along HuffingtonPost headline

Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers 

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

Just Like Michelle Rhee's

 Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better) 

Other Astroturf lobbying groups

الشركات استيلاء التعليم العام

Just Like Michelle Rhee's

 Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better)