Those of us concerned with the state of education in the US have had an eye on the DC school system over the last few years where Mayor Adrian Fenty had appointed "The New Teacher Project" founder Michelle Rhee as Chancellor and backed her aggressive school reform plans. Although the jury is still out those reforms appear to have delivered success in at least some areas, but not without controversy.
Well, Mayor Fenty lost his primary fight for re-election yesterday and much of the analysis lays some of the blame on the fallout from the school reform efforts. The future of those efforts are now in doubt.
It's not that I agree or disagree with any particulars of the DC reform plan, but I do believe we need significant changes to improve our inner city schools. An empiricist at heart, I want to see how the DC plan performs over time, but the thing that worries me most is that this election loss might discourage politicians like Adrian Fenty who really are committed to the cause of an improved public education - and are willing to tackle tough issues to do it.
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2 comments:
You should check your facts. Michelle Rhee did not found Teach for America. She began her career as a TFA recruit and then founded The New Teacher Project.
Correct. Thank you
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