Despite film's praise, Rhee may be on way out [School reformer going to be fired by new DC mayor]

Washington Examiner ^

[RatherBiased.com]

Documentary film "Waiting for Superman" praises Chancellor Michelle Rhee as a highly effective school reformer and applauds her desire to end teacher tenure.

Now, her own tenure may be ending after Mayor Adrian Fenty, who hired Rhee and allowed her great freedom to exercise school reform, lost his bid for re-election to D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray, who has criticized her leadership style as autocratic.

Education was a primary issue in the election, with many D.C. residents saying they would vote against Fenty because they disagreed with Rhee's reforms.

Rhee said she "could not answer" if she wished "Waiting for Superman" hit box offices before the mayoral primary.

"It is what it is," she said.

Her storyline in the documentary ended with the Washington Teachers' Union refusing to recognize her proposed contract without so much as a vote.

Since then, a new contract was signed, Rhee fired 241 teachers rated ineffective on evaluations, and the incensed teacher's union endorsed Gray.

[Carley]

O sent a message against her last week when he insisted the D.C. schools weren’t good enough for his girls.

Evidently he wants decades of decay to be turned around overnight.........in much less time than it took to ‘free the slaves’.

[SeekAndFind]

DC Voters get everything they deserve. ‘Nuff said.

[popdonnelly]

The students and Washington, D.C. will be the ultimate losers.

[Nat Turner]

And this is why they will NEVER have statehood or even get MD to take them back LOL

[Old Retired Army Guy]

She will most likely get a lot better job somewhere else. DC doesn’t deserve someone that good.

[wardaddy]

I don’t think this Rhee is all some think....I’ve read some damning stuff on her.

NPR loves her.

[Cicero]

Fenty should have understood that when it comes to the public schools, the first priority is the teacher’s union. The second priority is mutual political support. The third priority is the kids.

Obama understands all that well.

[TheConservativeBanker]

When you compare school administrators to each other, a mediocre person can look like Superman. Two decades ago, my brother-in-law was named outstanding young Republican in Arkansas. His father noted that there just weren't that many Republicans in the state. Same thing here.

Also, DC has made the journey from great city to third world status since “home rule” was established for the city.

[wardaddy]

I may get blasted for my post and I am a bit low on ammo.

I had admired Rhee but read an article on her online last month where some detractors listed how she is not as anti-union as some think and she is very pro abortion....and I think a Democrat and Obama endorser

the problem in DC is not the schools, unions or cash...it’s the environment the parentless kids come from and have for 50 years now

[Ferndale]

“....but read an article on her online last month where some detractors listed how she is not as anti-union as some think and she is very pro abortion.”

Her views on abortion would not seem to have much relevance to her competence as an administrator.

[Mr. Silverback]

I find it odd that you are surprised that the director of the DC public schools would be an Obama supporter and a pro-abort. If she was not a liberal, she would not have been hired in DC or any other major American city. The question is whether she's willing to take actual steps toward reform.

the problem in DC is not the schools, unions or cash...it’s the environment the parentless kids come from and have for 50 years now

No, it's all of those things, but what the school does matters a lot more than you seem to think. In Milwaukee (run by Dem teacher union operatives for at least 40 years) only 9% of black fourth graders can read. In my town of Freeport, IL, local parents came out of their skulls over a single digit percentage gap between white and black achievement in the same grades.

In other words, a public school that is run with some modicum of sanity will show a significant gap between whites and blacks that is almost certainly caused by the greater occurence of single parenting in the black community. A district where the unions run things into dysfunction will produce things like a 91% illiteracy rate.

[10Ring]

The scene when Fenty found out he lost the DC Mayoral Primary.

Aide: Mr. Mayor they say it’s because of Rhee and her harsh policies.

Fenty: B!t@& set me up!

Remember, these are the same folks who re-elected Marion Barry and tolerated that 2nd Amendment Ban.

[wardaddy]

I'm not sure of your environs Ms Hartman but abortion enthusiasts tend to be social libs and that very well does affect how they run school systems.

without checking I will assume like most what culture war types here there is no info on yer page...not even a state flag..

[KeyLargo]

Chicago Teachers Union claims ‘stunning court victory’
Lisa Fielding

Local News, More 780 Headlines,News
10/4/2010
10:05 PM

(CHICAGO) WBBM -–A federal judge ruled Monday that the Chicago Public School system does not have the right to fire teachers without regard to seniority or tenure, handing a victory to the Chicago Teachers Union.

In June, the Chicago School Board passed a resolution giving CPS President Ron Huberman the power to layoff teachers without following union contracts

Teacher’s Union President Karen Lewis is calling it a stunning victory. “They lost. We won. That’s it. The beauty of this is that a Federal Judge said this is illegal.”

Over the summer, the district laid off hundreds of teachers. CEO Ron Huberman made headlines when he introduced a resolution to lay off teachers with poor evaluations first, without regard to tenure or seniority. The district never provided a count of how many poor performers were ultimately among those laid off. The Judge said that violates union contracts.

[MinorityRepublican]

Mayor Fenty’s one of a kind. An effective mayor. Too bad he’s not “black enough” to keep his job.