Michelle Rhee is both loved and hated for her business-based approach to school reform. Image: Flickr / Center for American Progress / CC-BY-ND
An education-reform celebrity, Michelle Rhee has announced the creation of a new advocacy group, Students First. Michelle Rhee plans on using Students First to “start a revolution … start a movement.” Rhee can’t escape deep controversy, however.
Michelle Rhee starts Students First
After three years as the head of Washington, D.C., public schools, Michelle Rhee left the position. After a few months of making the rounds on councils, committees and public discussions, Rhee announced the advocacy group Students First. She stated that she hopes to raise $1 billion from 1 million members of Students First in just the first year. Rhee developed much of her public face through the documentary “Waiting for Superman” that explored possibilities for and effects of educational reform. Students First has four main beliefs stated on their website:
- Great teachers can make a tremendous difference for students of every background; all children deserve great teachers.
- Students should not need luck to get a good education; every family should be able to choose an excellent school.
- Public dollars belong where they can make the biggest difference; we must fight ineffective programs and bureaucracy.
- Parental involvement is key to increased student outcomes, but the entire community must be engaged in the effort to improve our schools.
Improvements Rhee made to D.C. education
In two and a half years as superintendent of D.C. schools, Michelle Rhee implemented many changes. During her time there, D.C. saw double-digit improvement in math, reading and state standardized test scores. The graduation rate also went up. Rhee focused heavily on the teachers in front of classrooms, as well as No Child Left Behind-style reforms.
Controversy over Michelle Rhee
Though she helped make significant improvements in D.C. education, Michelle Rhee is also the flashpoint for controversy. Some are frustrated that after very few years, Michelle Rhee “abandoned” the school district after making huge changes. Others debate the methods of Rhee’s changes, such as the “Last in First Out” system of replacing senior teachers with new hires that she said will “probably be” better teachers. Rhee also focuses heavily on standardized test scores, which in and of themselves are very controversial.
Sources
Students First
Washington Post
If you want to increase the educational level of children of the inner city , handing their public schools over to corporate America and out of the public square is a dead wrong approach.Good paying jobs that produce living wages is the right answer. Parents then will have time to spend with their kids, teaching them responsibility for being students who are prepared for school. Parents will have sufficient time to be supportive parents rather than struggling with the consequences of the lack of economic security.
It seems that everyone has an opinion about teachers, what they should or should not be paid, their benefits, etc. I can tell you that while stagnant teachers may contribute to the lack of a child's education, the education process begins AT HOME. When parents get back to the business of teaching their children respect, manners, dignity, and consequences to not following the rules perhaps half of a teachers day would not be spent on decipline and trying to keep control of a classroom of 30+ kids. I have two kids (one of which is a teacher in the Philadelphia School District) and the stories that I hear daily would not make me want to be a teacher for any amount of pay. Given that we are several generations into babies having babies, our education system will not improve any time soon unless drastic measures are taken. It seems as though our government has no clue how to fix the problem ie..PSSA Tests (give me a break) so by all means we should support Students First, after all what have we got to lose?
How right you are about children and their behavior. But this does not excuse these teachers who do not care and they get paid no matter what.
how do I email michelle?
Some of the money that is being wasted on ineffective educational programs should be shifted towards further increasing teacher salaries. This in turn will attract more qualified male and female candidates into teaching.
We've been throwing more money at teachers for decades in efforts to attract more qualified instructors. How many more decades of this behavior is it gonna take to realize that it does not work. Home schoolers are getting better results with tens of thousands of dollars less per student than the public sector. It's time for a change and Students First may be just that.