Sunday, February 26, 2012

presumption of guilt? in an investigation of Washington schools under the direction of Michelle Rhee. - NYTimes.com

Education Dept.’s Washington Schools Inquiry - NYTimes.com:

Amid a Federal Education Inquiry, an Unsettling Sight

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press; Alex Wong, via Getty Images

A spokesman for Education Secretary Arne Duncan, left, cautioned against the presumption of guilt in an investigation of Washington schools under the direction of Michelle Rhee.

What was Arne Duncan doing sharing the stage with Michelle Rheeat a recent education conference?

Readers’ Comments

Share your thoughts.

Mr. Duncan is the education secretary.

Ms. Rhee was the chancellor of schools in Washington from 2007 to 2010.

Since last summer, the Office of the Inspector General in Mr. Duncan’s department has been investigating whether Washington school officials cheated to raise test scores during Ms. Rhee’s tenure.

You would think Mr. Duncan would want to keep Ms. Rhee at arm’s length during the investigation. And yet there they were, sitting side by side last month, two of four featured panelists at a conference in Washington about the use of education data.