Can Michelle Rhee Save Public Education?

KT
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Ever since her name came up during the campaign I have wondered this about Michelle Rhee....What has she accomplished? I don't mean that in a pejorative way, I am just being realistic. I understand some what her philosophy but so far I haven't seen any reports that her efforts have somehow had some radical return on investment. From reading the article it would seem that she has been on the job less than 2 years so I suppose it is quite likely too early to judge her efforts competently and fairly but I am just wondering how she got to be this "oracle" of Education without having anyway to judge yet if her approach actually works. I hope it will, I think it might, but somehow I feel like they are jumping the gun by promoting her as the answer to all that ails not only Washington DC but also all other inner city school environments. Am I missing something here? Has there been some great improvement in testing or student retention in the little over a year that she has been in charge? Please correct me if I am wrong here.

Ok now I am really confused because I just read the article about how Rhee says (probably in most "drama" tic fashion that she almost voted for McCain. I don't see a good reason why other than Obama maybe not blowing up the tenure system of teachers? Is her whole shtick that everything would turn around if we just take tenure away from teachers? Please somebody tell me that she believes in more than just that.

KT
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I know I run the risk of having an analogy drawn between Rhee and Obama but seriously why is everybody so focused on her then? What if she is a dramatic failure in DC? I am just wondering how she got to be the "Joe the Plumber" for education during the debate and on the campaign trail

She is younger than me, so I distrust her on principle. The same goes for Jindal. Showoffs!
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Seriously though, the answer is to be found in the culture and the homes not in the schools. There are not ever going to be enough "wonder teachers" out there that can inspire kids whose parents don't care.
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In parts of southern California, there are these afternoon academies that Asian kids go to 5 days a week, and half days on Saturdays. The Valedictorian of my high school was a girl who was a Vietnamese boat refuge in 1975 who spoke no English at 6. 12 years later she is the top student in a very large high school. Her teachers weren't that spectacular.

The Daily Howler has been looking into the rise of Rhee for sometime now. Including some of the claims she has been making as well as how they are being covered by the media.
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http://www.dailyhowler.com/

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Hmmm. Reading this hagiographic piece, I am wondering if some reporters a couple of years from now will be referring to Rhee's tenure as a "train wreck." What's required here is
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"1. Devising a good plan.
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2. Making sure you have all the stakeholders on board.
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3. Making sure you explain it to the American people and bring them along."*

and it doesn't appear that Rhee has done any of this. Of course, summarily firing people based on obscure standards without fair process is always popular among Republicans and their enablers, so I think Rhee will get more than a fair chance to prove her approach. Somerby is skeptical, I note. Thanks for that link, gunny.
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*SOURCE: Hillary Clinton as told to Karen Tumulty.

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Oh, hey. Didn't George W. Bush pull a big scam on the mainstream press with his wondrous Texas education program? Showed all the fabulous improvement in test scores, but some skeptical reporter looked into it and discovered that low-scoring students were expelled and it turns out that his state's education program was a big failure?

From the Somerby link:
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OUR QUESTIONS:

1. Are you troubled by the fact that the scores were never produced?
2. Did the Post ever ask the Baltimore schools to produce the scores?

Jay's answers were helpful, though they leave some matters hanging. Here's what he told us:

JAY'S ANSWERS:

1. Nope, because I have researched test scores at that period in other parts of the country, and nobody has them, particularly on a per teacher basis. This was way before the NCLB era. Her story is very close to what I have heard from other Teach for America teachers of that era whose work has since proved, in the NCLB era. that their scores were probably what they said they were.
2. We did, and discovered what I said above. Rhee herself said she never saw any scores in writing. It was all informal chit-chat stuff, with the central office people the only ones who had lists, it seems.
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I say, hmmmm. Count me as more skeptical than, say, Ripley.

Here's an "undercovered story of the day" for ya Karen.
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 11/24/2008 | Vast U.S. Embassy in Baghdad: A monument to what?
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"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings, Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away."
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But who will be occupying the new U.S. Embassy complex in 10 years? Will there be new tenants? Will there be buckets out to collect rainwater dripping through the roof, as there were the other day at the Palace? Will grass and bushes ever be planted or will it be left to the wind: a center of Western presence in Iraq or a monument to the still inexplicable decision to come here and assert what some thought to be limitless power.

Baghdad is a place of many questions, but none so trenchant as those put to me by an Iraqi journalist: Why are you here? You overthrew a tyrannical government but then you demolished the security structure, so you had to stay. Was it oil? Did you hope to take charge of the region? What did you have in mind? And what are your plans?

There's no ready answer to these questions except the last. U.S. plans are now clear: according to the status of forces agreement just approved by the Iraqi cabinet, U.S. forces will be completely gone in three years.
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James-I'm not very impressed by the firing, the answering of 95,000 emails and the dismissive and mocking attitudes that seem to make up the bulk of the article.

gysgt
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Thanks so much for that link. So basically everybody is sold on Rhee because of her own rhetoric. That pretty much figures. I don't wish failure on anyone and I really do hope she does big things in DC but I can tell you right now that if she really thinks it ALL comes down to teachers not teaching or losing their tenure she is going to be in for a rude awakening and the people of DC are in for a big dissappointment. Remember the movie "Lean on Me" about how Joe Clark changed his school? He kept pounding the teachers and pounding the teachers but eventually by the end of the movie he found that he had to have outreach into the kids home lives as well and he found that he already had some pretty good teachers on staff. A lot of times people forget that the movie was based on the real Joe Clark who really did make some big changes happen at his school. No one thing changed the fate of his school. It was everything. He threw out the drug dealers and miscreants. He kicked out what he thought were bad teachers and brought in new ones. He reached out to the parents. And he instilled pride in the students who were left.
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Michelle Rhee reminds me oddly of George Bush. I know its not that fresh on people's minds right now but George Bush was hailed as a big time education reformer in Texas because he turned it around and made students test scores soar. Sounds just like Rhee's rhetoric. Come to find out though Bush had cooked the books and kids who were likely to score poorly were either shipped off or had their scores thrown out. Now hopefully this isn't the case with Rhee but it seems from the Howler piece that it could definitely be the case and nobody seems to care.

Nor I, gunny, nor I.

What trifecta said:
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Seriously though, the answer is to be found in the culture and the homes not in the schools. There are not ever going to be enough "wonder teachers" out there that can inspire kids whose parents don't care.
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In parts of southern California, there are these afternoon academies that Asian kids go to 5 days a week, and half days on Saturdays. The Valedictorian of my high school was a girl who was a Vietnamese boat refuge in 1975 who spoke no English at 6. 12 years later she is the top student in a very large high school. Her teachers weren't that spectacular.
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I expect Dee to weigh in shortly, and I hope she does. There was a wonderful dialogue in the thread that KT linked between Dee, Suzie, sgw, jay and others on the issue of the ability of exceptional teachers and school systems to overcome negatives from the home environment. Dee was convinced, based on recent research, that sufficient funding and hiring of exceptional teachers can overcome deficits. Pretty much everyone else agreed that more resources properly applied help, but can't overcome those deficits. And, as trifecta said: "There are not ever going to be enough "wonder teachers" out there that can inspire kids whose parents don't care."
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So much of this is driven by culture. I frankly think we may see enormous cultural benefits that show up in improved school performance from having an overtly smart and decent first family serving as a national role model. Kathleen Parker seems sold:
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Again, setting aside specific policies, Obama's example could have society-altering effects, especially in the African American community. By his example, he telegraphs the following messages: Being smart is good; education is good; being a good father is essential. Being an egghead is cool.
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BTW, Thanksgiving dinner was great. Great food and conversation, plenty of good turkey gravy.

James in LA
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obviously we think alike because I hadn't seen your post on Bush before I hit submit

This is WAY OT but I think everyone should read it
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This smells to high heavens if you ask me and questions need to be asked. We need to know who is Aafia Siddiqui and did we detain and torture her and her kids?

Ok I have some followups from the Howler article. Why didnt Jay ask for names of the people who were involved in the "informal chit chat"? Why would the people at her school EVER let her get away if she had such a dramatic effect? Why if she had such great results why didn't the state of Maryland try to pick her brain about how she went about it. Think about this for a second ladies and gentlemen. She pulled of a mini Joe Clark all on her own as a lowly teacher and with no authority over anybody else. If anybody believes that she took kids from the 13th percentile to the 90th percentile in a matter of three years or less then you should realize that to do that would be to pull off a miracle with no exxageration of the word. Why didnt she win every teaching award known to man? Why weren't there books written about her and movies filmed about her? I am calling bullsh!t on at least that part of her bio.

A worker died after being trampled and a woman miscarried when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island Wal-Mart Friday morning, witnesses said.
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The unidentified worker, employed as an overnight stock clerk, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.
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Merry Christmas. Shop, shop, shop.

trifecta
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Ill bet thats the first of many tragic reports about black friday. A lot more people than usual will be shopping this year because they won't be able to afford the regular prices but because the stores won't be carrying any more products its going to be or already has been ugly. Thats beside the tensions people already have about losing their job or trying to find a new one as well as keeping their house or being able to pay the rent.

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See, I have this vision to save the mainstream media. The first thing I'm gonna do is fire all incompetent reporters and editors. Karen and Joe Klein can stay, but out goes Stengel, Jay Carney. Massimo, Ripley, Sullivan and the rest. Out goes Bill Keller too, and the whole NYT political section. (I'll take Peter Baker's case under advisement.) Washington Post? Gone! Except Dana Priest, of course. Editors, Ombudsman, political section? Sorry, you are non-performing. Out the door you go.
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Seniority will be abolished. Reporters will prove their worth every single day, or they will join the unemployment line. Politico gets shut down altogether. There is nothing worth saving there. Now. let me start on television reporting. I *may* keep Campbell Brown. Anderson Cooper. All those political analysts at CNN? Gone. Brian Williams - out. Charlie - non-performing, out. Couric, gone.
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At AP, all Fournierists will pack their bags forthwith. We will keep all reporters at AFP, but they will remain on probation. Reuters, we will retain as well.
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Of course, the LAT Washington bureau will remain. full-staffed.
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What do you think? Do I have a plan?

James in LA
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Turns out Politico actually admitted their error on climate change. I won't say that Politico is the best site for news but they do put some good product out every now and then. And I will say that when its not Jonathan Martin writing the story, they get it right more than they get it wrong.

Here's my problem with NCLB, from the get-go (besides the unfundedness of it all): its very name begs the question about the children who were left behind in the 90s, 80s, 70s, etc. and who are now the parents and grandparents of "at-risk children". When people say academic success starts in the home, consider how many adults are barely literate. (43% are at basic or below basic levels, according to the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.) I used to tutor a woman who had a high school diploma from the 1970s but was reading at the fourth grade level. Waiting lists for adult English classes are up to three years long in regions with many immigrants. Although NCLB includes language to encourage parent involvement, it really can't do anything to improve adult literacy, and adult programs have to argue for public funds and compete with other community needs for private funding.

Rhee's new action plan for DC schools addressing issue with Parent Academies" in partnership with community organizations which would cover "everything from adult literacy to parenting skills. That suggests a "big picture" view and collaborative approach that I think Obama would find very appealing. That assumes it works, of course, and it will take time to see big results.

Don't worry, sg. I have a plan to rebuild the whole media. I call it the Rhee Plan. I'm going to replace all the deadwood at Time Mag and Politico with superstars. I'll recruit them from other professions. Maybe I'll hire superstar Michelle Rhee for the education desk. Maybe Bill Clinton will be the political news editor. Madeline Albright will write about foreign policy. Mathematicians out of MIT will write about election polling, of course. Kareem Abdul Jabbar will do sports reporting. Nobel Prize winner Krugman is the obvious choice for the business desk.
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Jonathan Martin will head up the unemployment line. Putting out a "good product every now and then" is not an acceptable standard for my Rhee Plan. Sorry.
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KT, this would be a great topic of many posts. The two negative comments I would make about the article are 1) there are blanket statements with no sourcing, and 2) Rhee seems to be focused on one root cause and one solution, teachers. Rhee's passionate faith mirrors passionate faith in the free market; true but extremely simplistic.

1. "The biggest problem with U.S. public schools is ineffective teaching, according to decades of research." Please document this research. Are teachers the source of 90% of the problems or the leading reason among 15 major problem sources? For example, is student motivation a problem? Are suburban students more motivated that urban students?
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2. "Now, without proof that cities can revolutionize their worst schools, there is always a fine excuse." Has the proof been supplied? I don't see any proof in the article.
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3. "Teachers got tenure rights in the early 20th century to protect them against meddling politicians and school-board members who treated their jobs as patronage pawns. But the rationale is plainly antiquated. Today dozens of federal and state laws protect teachers (and other people) from arbitrary firing." Have meddling politicians, school-board members, and parents left the scene? There aren't many exceptions to employment-at-will IANAL); which of the exceptions would protect teachers from arbitrary firings?
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4. "The child with the effective teacher, the kind who ranks among the top 15% of all teachers, will be scoring well above grade level on standardized tests by the time she is 11." And now for the snark: If Rhee's plan is to make all teachers in the top 15% ... Garrison Keiler makes it sound more humorous.

I sincerely hope the Rhee plan is successful in improving the education of DC's inner city. But things like dismantlking the school board, summarily firing teachers and administrators, sitting children in a U, parent academies,/a> and attempting to recruit "superstars" from other professions aren't exactly new ideas.
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What we don't need is premature hagiographies unskeptically extolling the virtues of untested plans of untested people by reporters who apparently have no background in the subject. As deggjr points out, does Time Mag completely eschew any skepticism or requirement for hard evidence before running with something like this?
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I sincerely hope the Rhee plan is successful in improving the education of DC's inner city. But things like dismantlking the school board, summarily firing teachers and administrators, sitting children in a U, parent academies,/a> and attempting to recruit "superstars" from other professions aren't exactly new ideas.
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What we don't need is premature hagiographies unskeptically extolling the virtues of untested plans of untested people by reporters who apparently have no background in the subject. As deggjr points out, does Time Mag completely eschew any skepticism or requirement for hard evidence before running with something like this?