Michelle Rhee on vouchers, social promotion and putting kids first
Michelle Rhee speaks to Georgia lawmakers Thursday. Jason Getz jgetz@ajc.com
Former DC schools chancellor Michelle Rhee appealed to both ends of the political spectrum today in her visit to the Georgia Capitol, touting vouchers to provide low-income children with options beyond failing neighborhood schools and a strong federal Department of Education to hold schools accountable.
Rhee’s theme throughout her comments was the need to put students first. “We have been putting the system first for 30 years and look where that has gotten us,” she said.
And her new education organization — created she says to counter the influence of teacher unions, textbook publishers and other special interests focused on adult agendas – is called StudentsFirst.
Her take-no-prisoners style of public school management, which left a wake of ill will in Washington and cost her ex boss, Mayor Adrian Fenty, re-election last year, struck a chord with Georgia lawmakers, many of whom believe that the entrenched education bureaucracy in Georgia has been an obstacle to real reform.
As to her own stormy tenure over DC schools where she says she was known as the “Dragon Lady” and “Teacher Terminator,” Rhee said she believed her tough policies would be accepted “if we just produced actual results…I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
The dysfunctions within public education are not an accident, she said. “There are people who benefit by that dysfunction.”
Rhee recalled her own staff’s dismay when she supported the takeover of low-performing traditional schools under her control by independent charter schools that the district would not control. “My goal is not to protect and preserve the system,” she said. “My goal is to make sure every child gets a great education.”
That’s why, she told House members, she supported Washington’s voucher program. If parents did not win the lottery to enable their child to attend one of Washington’s high-achieving charter schools, Rhee says she didn’t feel it was fair to limit them to a failing public school, a school where she would never send her own two daughters. “Then who I am to deny them a $7,500 voucher to send their child to a great Catholic school,” she said.
Asked about social promotion, Rhee said it was a symptom of a culture too concerned about self-esteem. Showing her Tiger mom stripes, she said, “We have become soft in America.”
In South Korea, from where her family hails, Rhee said the 40 children even in a kindergarten class are ranked academically from first to last, and the No. 1 students are always looking over their shoulders to see if someone is gaining on them. That would never be allowed here, she noted.
Rhee said her two daughters “suck in soccer.” But you would never know it because their rooms are full of ribbons, medals and trophies.. “You would think I was raising the next Mia Hamms,” she said. “We are so busy making children feel good about themselves that we are not spending the time teaching them how to do good.”
(I am updating this blog as the day goes on. Check back for more of Rhee’s visit.)
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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162 comments Add your comment
Veteran teacher, 2
February 10th, 2011
6:28 pm
@td Here is a start:
1. Have all stakeholders agree that education is important and support that agreement with ACTION.
2. Have all stakeholders agree on a REASONABLE curriculum K-12. Stick with the curriculum regardless of outside criticism. Expect teachers to teach the curriculum, and expect students to FULLY participate in all activities to the best of their abilities.
3. Provide real enrichment and/or acceleration for faster learners, and provide extended time and instruction for slower learners.
4. Have all stakeholders agree on fair and appropriate assessment of student learning. If this includes high-stakes testing, make sure each test is VALID without question. Stick to the consequences for failure to maintain minimum standards for both the student and the teacher(s) involved.
5. Recognize that the SAT is NOT an achievement test!!! There are some minimal academic skills needed to attain a high score, but the vast majority of students have those skills. The SAT measures analysis and synthesis using the basic skills. All stakeholders agree not to disparage those teachers who atempt to teach high order thinking skills above the minimal basic skills. THE SAT MEASURES HOW A STUDENT THINKS AND APPLIES KNOWLEDGE!
6. Everyone MUST realize that educators cannot have dozens of bosses. Once all of the above is agreed to and implemented, all outside influences are to be ignored. We simply have to stop trying to do what everyone who can gain a headline or a video says needs to happen. This step is probably the most important and can get the most results.
I have been in education in a front-line position for over 30 years. I have heard many veteran educators say the above MANY times. I still find it interesting that except for a few “window-dressing” events, front-line educators are rarely consulted on any solutions to problems. As well, we are told what the problems are, and we are not consulted about articulating the problems, either.
People in every community can tell any who the really good and effective teachers are in that community. We don’t need some kind of fabricated teacher report card given by the state. Every teacher in every community already has a pretty extensive report card in that community. It would not be difficult at all to assemble an all-star cast of the best teachers to articulate problems and effect real solutions with all stakeholders involved.
The question is, are there really any politicians who are willing to implement a comprehensive program of real solutions??
teacher&mom
February 10th, 2011
6:28 pm
Reform ideas?
Acknowledge that poverty does impact child. Then, take a close look at what research shows makes an impact with high-poverty students. Offer excellent training for teachers. Give teachers meaningful and quality time to collaborate with other teachers in schools that are successfully meeting the needs of at-risk students. Quit the one-shot training sessions. Give teachers a choice in the training. Help them become more reflective practitioners.
Create equity in class sizes. Acknowledge that a classroom with 25 at-risk, ESL, and special education students is not a good idea. At the secondary level, an individual teacher may be expected to address the needs of over 100 at-risk students a day. Is it any wonder that too many slip through the cracks?
Provide access to social services for all students so teachers can quickly refer students in need. (Try getting a student a pair of glasses and see how much red tape you have to cut through. It once took over 2 months to get a student a pair of glasses….who, btw, was almost legally blind.)
Understand that some students will not be successful with a 180 day school calendar. Provide funding for summer programs, after school programs, and extended days for teachers.
Realize that many rural students have never stepped foot outside their local area. When you cut funding for field trips, you shut the doors to life changing experiences. How can we encourage a student to attend college if they’ve never stepped foot on a college campus?
Cut standardized testing to the bone (grades 3,5,8) and use the money to bring back daily physical education, art, music, academic support classes, and vocational classes.
Recognize that dramatic improvements will not happen overnight or in a few years. It will be the small, but consistent success stories that will make the most impact.
If legislators want to mandate anything, then mandate that teacher representatives be seated at the table…at the state and local level. Require the local school boards to work with local teacher representatives.
Funding matters. Quit acting like it doesn’t.
HL
February 10th, 2011
6:32 pm
Rhee’s message about putting students first resonates but isn’t that what teachers already do. One thing that is lacking today is respect for the teachers. Everyone can remember a weak teacher but how many praise the majority of good teachers that you had. Most College Graduates can earn more in other fields but stay in the class room because of their love of teaching.
Studies show that class size does make a difference so for Rhee to suggest otherwise seems disingenuous. Vouchers are not a magical answer and would take money out of public education. Do we give vouchers to those who are already paying for private education? Does that mean we would now use our tax dollars to fund Lovett, Marist or any of the other fine private schools?
Top School
February 10th, 2011
6:36 pm
Just replace the names from Egyptian leadership to Atlanta’s Leadership and it’s the same story…amazing…
Beverly Hall refused to step down or leave the school system immediately and instead handed her powers to her deputy superintendent Thursday, remaining superintendent and ensuring regime control over the reform process. Stunned protesters in Atlanta who demand her ouster waved their shoes in contempt and shouted, “Leave, leave, leave.”
Toto: Exposing naked body scanners...
February 10th, 2011
6:47 pm
BIG SIS ADMITS NAK*ED BO**DY SCAN*NERS ARE A TOTAL FAILURE (my opinion)
We want our money back!
“Her comments were a sobering reminder that the potential of another attack is real and growing, most notably from individuals radicalized inside the United States, despite elaborate security measures implemented by the government since 2001.”
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/janet-napolitano-warns-terror-threat-heightened-sept-11/story?id=12874207
Perhaps she can contract with Apple to insert a portable bo*dy scan**ner in the IMac laptop camera feature.
Remember, the ter*ror=87sts are now youuuuuuu!
Toto: Exposing naked body scanners...
February 10th, 2011
6:52 pm
@ Top School
Excellent post!
Shannon
February 10th, 2011
6:55 pm
If everyone would read and take to heart what teacher&mom posted above, we’d be a LOT better off.
Poverty matters.
Funding matters.
Teachers are professionals. Let them do their jobs; give them an environment where that’s possible.
It seems so elementary, but it’s so right. And we don’t do it. We resist any thought of equity in school system funding… we resist any thought of empowering teachers to do their jobs… we both overwork them and constrain them.
There is not enough money in the WORLD for me to teach in a K-12 school.
ScienceTeacher671
February 10th, 2011
7:11 pm
1. There are no “magic bullets.” Anything that might work will take time, funding, and effort.
2. Education isn’t “one size fits all,” and many of our failures are a result of bureaucrats trying to make it be so. Children learn at different speeds, and we shouldn’t assume that what works with an average middle-class child will work with an average child in poverty or a slow learner, etc.
Toto: Exposing naked body scanners...
February 10th, 2011
7:14 pm
@shannon
You can’t reform a corpse.
Go Egyptian. Home school en masse.
ScienceTeacher671
February 10th, 2011
7:17 pm
Also, the studies of the voucher students in D.C. found no significant improvements in achievement for most of the students who received vouchers, some of the students who received vouchers had already been attending private schools using private scholarships, and students in the worst D.C. schools were the least likely to take advantage of the voucher program.
So why should that program have been continued, and why should we have a voucher program in GA?
Michelle Rhee on vouchers, social promotion and putting kids first … | FIND BEST EDUCATION INFORMATION
February 10th, 2011
7:20 pm
[...] Read the original post: Michelle Rhee on vouchers, social promotion and putting kids first … [...]
BS
February 10th, 2011
7:27 pm
@Top School – SHUT UP!
Atlanta mom
February 10th, 2011
7:43 pm
ScienceTeacher671
Also, the DC vouchers went to only 2% of the school population. Can you imagine what would happen if we suddenly gave vouchers to anyone who asked?
Rhee Fan
February 10th, 2011
8:15 pm
Rhee for DCSS superintendent! Time to shake things up around here.
atlmom
February 10th, 2011
8:15 pm
@old school doc: WHY? Seriously. We take government money and use it to pay for private colleges. Why is it so different for K-12?
Why?
I don’t understand AT ALL. Why can’t a child take a sum of money, and use it however he/she needs to be educated?
IF the voucher system didn’t work in places, okay. But what we’re doing now DOES NOT WORK. Having an elected board isn’t working. There are many cities where whatever they are doing isn’t working.
A one size fits all answer will not work – we are a very diverse country (heck GA is a very diverse state). But what we’ve BEEN doing isn’t working – we need new and innovative ideas.
But just throwing a new curriculum at a system that isn’t working clearly won’t work – GA and other states have been doing that for decades. Something new needs to be thought of.
NWGA teacher
February 10th, 2011
8:18 pm
Michelle Rhee doesn’t put students first. She puts Michelle Rhee first.
ScienceTeacher671
February 10th, 2011
8:35 pm
Atlanta mom, right! But that wasn’t a problem because there weren’t enough private school slots available even if there had been more vouchers!
Plus, most of the private schools in D.C. charged much higher tuition than the vouchers would pay, and vouchers didn’t pay “extra” expenses such as uniforms, transportation, books, fees, etc., which was a problem for low-income students who might have wanted to use vouchers.
Also, vouchers didn’t pay the application fees that the “better” private schools charged. For instance, to apply to Sidwell Friends, parents must pay a $60 application fee, plus provide test scores from an independent testing agency – most charge $300-400 for this service. (Similar policies at the “best” Atlanta-area schools, I believe.)
Top School
February 10th, 2011
9:04 pm
Rhee’s firing of 75 D.C. teachers in 2008 was improper, arbitrator says…
Any teacher that put 75 students out of the school improperly would not be guest at any education luncheon …AND I doubt you would be following her for another story about her mistakes. Her inept leadership cost the taxpayers and the money wasted could have provided educational opportunities due to her ignorance, unethical, and less than democratic leadership.
She should be fined and charged to repay the money spent on the misuse of her position to influence the firing of these teachers.
Top School
February 10th, 2011
9:07 pm
@ BS
Shut up???How rude!
Did I say something that offends you?
Sucks?
Top School
February 10th, 2011
9:07 pm
Rude , crude and socially… unacceptable.
FBT
February 10th, 2011
9:07 pm
There is no need to worry about the children of the parents at tonight’s meeting with Michelle Rhee. These parents already desire and are willing to fight for a high quality education for their children. It’s the children who weren’t represented in the room that I worry about.
Rhee did ask the parents in the room to recruit others. I think it is a good place to start.
FBT
February 10th, 2011
9:16 pm
@Top School- Ms. Rhee says there are two sides to the story and the public is not allowed to she the performance records of the 75 teachers. She also said she did not want to send anyone’s child to a classroom that she didn’t find adequate for her own children. Where would our schools be if every administrator followed her lead? (Not the part where she fired teachers incorrectly.)
Maureen Downey
February 10th, 2011
9:16 pm
@FBT, Were you there? I thought it was a very informed group of parents. I understand the the charter school parents network invited some of the parents to come, and 18 were from Peachtree Hope Charter, according to the principal. But how did the private school parents get the word? (I am wondering about the mom from Ron Clark.)
Maureen
FBT
February 10th, 2011
9:19 pm
@Atlanta Mom- “Can you imagine what would happen if we suddenly gave vouchers to anyone who asked?”
1. Empowered parents
2. Better educated children
3. Competition
FBT
February 10th, 2011
9:26 pm
Yes, I was there tonight. I don’t know how the private school parents got the word. I did speak with the mother from Ron Clark and exchanged info, I will ask how she heard about the meeting.
Top School
February 10th, 2011
9:28 pm
I think you have wrapped this cupcake and given us a napkin, too!
Top School
February 10th, 2011
9:31 pm
@fbt
The fair democratic process in the dismissal…was the part that was ignored.
Did you miss something?
td
February 10th, 2011
9:32 pm
Veteran teacher, 2
February 10th, 2011
6:28 pm
Thank you for putting out some potential solutions. I am pretty sure that one of Dr. Barge’s campaign promises was to listen more to teachers and local BOE’s. I believe he will try if the state BOE gets out of his way.
Top School
February 10th, 2011
9:34 pm
And I would not want my child in her classroom based on that very reason…and tape over the mouth says what is deep seeded in her thinking. I think it is apparent in less than 5 minutes of listening to the rhetoric of her talking about herself.
td
February 10th, 2011
9:34 pm
teacher&mom
February 10th, 2011
6:28 pm
Thank you for putting together some ideas. I do think these are from a far left positions and we have been doing this for years with no results but at least you are looking for solutions and are not just saying no to every idea.
Dr. John Trotter
February 10th, 2011
9:37 pm
Not everyone talking about putting students first are actually putting students first. I agree with the earlier poster. Michelle Rhee, in my opinion, is putting Michelle Rhee first.
td
February 10th, 2011
9:43 pm
I went to the forum during the campaign cycle and thought Kara Willis had the best thought. She said that we no matter how many programs we put together and no matter how much money we put into education. We would not see real improvement until we had a cultural change to a point that every parent thinks and enforces education as the highest priority in a child’s life.
Instead of our politician and educrats trying to come up with new curriculum and test they should be spending their time and money out in the communities talking about how important education is and convincing parents of the importance of making it their number one priority. This is when you will see real improvement in education. JMO
teacher&mom
February 10th, 2011
10:00 pm
@td….me? Far-left? I just read your comment to my husband and he laughed out loud. Did you just give me a condescending pat on the head?
Out of curiosity….what exactly on my list is far-left? Quality teacher training and support? Refusing to pack a high school classroom with 35+ at risk students and asking the teacher to be successful? Giving teachers a voice in policy making? Or is acknowledging that poverty is a legitimate factor in too many GA schools a “far-left” ideology?
For the record, I teach in a rural system with approximately a 65% free and reduced lunch and the solutions I offered have NOT been tried extensively in my district. Oh, they’ve dabbled around the edges but lack of funds and changing state and federal mandates always seem to get in the way.
BTW…I personally consider myself to be a middle-of-the-road kind of gal…..and I voted for Willis.
one second
February 10th, 2011
10:22 pm
so this Rhee chick put a bunch of stuff on her resume that was not exactly true; and she is getting rewarded for it?? Basically, from what Im reading, is that she is a self promoter; pandering to whomever she is talking too. Rhee wants to put “students first” but pay her firm/organization to come in and tell you how to do things because of her success that she claims on her resume. Anybody else see something WRONG here?
FBT
February 10th, 2011
10:30 pm
I was most impressed by the parents at tonight’s meeting.
B. Killebrew
February 10th, 2011
10:35 pm
Everything that teacher&mom said.
And yes, we need Diane Ravitch and Yong Zhao to speak in Georgia. Count me in.
td
February 10th, 2011
11:06 pm
teacher&mom
February 10th, 2011
10:00 pm
Not trying to be condescending and if I came off that way then I apologise.
These are the terms that came off as liberal: ” Create equity in class sizes”, “access to social services”. The biggest thing is the calling for substantially increasing funding to education.
We are spending about 50% of our state resources on education and that has increased substantially over the past 20 years and what results do we see? Are our children substantially better educated now?
I do not think the teachers of today are not the worse than the teachers 20 years ago. In some cases they are probably smarter, work harder and are better prepared. I said in an earlier post that Ms. Willis had a great thought and as a conservative just can not justify throwing more money after bad money (because I do not believe it will change anything) until the leadership of our state and education system goes in that direction.
Overly Involved Mom
February 10th, 2011
11:18 pm
I attended the parent meeting tonight with Rhee. It was incredible. Anyone who is a parent with school aged children in Atlanta would have found something positive in the dialogue tonight. Say what you want to say about her, when most of us have gone back to our comfortable lives, she’s still out on the front lines fighting for students. I’m sure someone will have something sarcastic to say about this post and that’s fine….I attend the school board meetings, I volunteer every week (if not every day) in my child’s school, I volunteer in our neighborhood schools where my kids don’t even attend, I attend the PTA conventions and APS parent meetings…I’m always around and always involved and the points she made tonight were exactly what many posters on this blog have said they wanted to see from their schools over the past year. She came to Georgia today because she was invited by the Georgia parents on the Students First site. In all of my years being involved with GA education, this was the first time I sat in a meeting about education where the focus was solely on the betterment of students. If nothing else, I thank her for a night that was all about the kids.
GoodforKids
February 10th, 2011
11:30 pm
I agree with Shannon and B. Killebrew in their support of comments by teacher&mom.
td- what does “equity in class sizes” and “access to social services” mean to you? And why are you against them? (sincere question).
I saw teacher&mom as simply wanting class sizes that enable teachers to reach kids and
less obstacles to help a child see so they can learn. I know schools can’t do it all, but if the child is sitting in your building with no regular access to a bath, not enough food in their stomach, no glasses to see, or whatever the case may be, WE ALL benefit if we clear the way to help that young child get ready to learn.
If only Diane Ravitch instead of Michelle Rhee…I will have to look up Yong Zhao. I will support that effort!
Public & Private Parent
February 10th, 2011
11:41 pm
@Maureen @FBT Just now reading the comments above….I am the “mom from Ron Clark.” I am ALSO the “mom from an APS school” where I’ve served in more volunteer capacities over the past 4 1/2 years than I can name LOL.
How did I hear about the meeting? When it was noted in the AJC that she would be here this week I sent her a tweet asking if there would be any events for parents. She’s always great when it comes to Twitter and she put me in contact with the organizers. They asked me to also invite other public school parents to attend, which I did. Fantastic meeting.
Now Maureen, if you were in there, surely you heard me speak about my PUBLIC school experience and how/why we chose private for one child this year. Not sure how I’ve gotten solely on the list of just private school parents. And if memory serves me correctly there were a few parents, during introductions, who said they had kids in public and private school in Atlanta.
Peggy Carter
February 11th, 2011
12:50 am
I am tired of people who complain and do nothing about it. We are not getting any better because we live in a cycle of negativity. People in this blog get out and do something about the issues. We have become a country that gossips and sabotage. Let’s see the positive side: she has made education a topic of conversation in levels it wasn’t before. She doesn’t have to be right all the time because she is not trying to convince us she is perfect. She is trying to make us think about education on a different way. I appreciate that.
another comment
February 11th, 2011
12:57 am
Tonight I was attending the Open House at my daughter’s Public School that is over 50% free lunch with 40% Black; 40% Hispanic; 12% White; 5% Asian and 3% White or something like that. Only about 5-10% of the parents showed up to the open house. Can you guess what the make up of that crowd is about 65% white, 20% asian, 5% Black, 5% other ( mostly Mixed with White mothers). It is the same mix that changes up for the student Athelete above 3.0 awards breakfast, etc… Each class I went into averaged about 6 parents visiting the teachers for a total of the 3 classes they taught.
When I went to 10th grade Honors Lit. Class, I witnessed the 1 black parent trying to coheres the teacher into raising her daughters failing grade in the 20’s. The mother tried to demand she raise the grade. The teacher held her ground and told her she could retake the test on Tuesday. She asked how her daughters grammer could get better. The teacher responded that her daughters scores and evaluations for reading and grammer showed that she lacked reading comprehension. The teacher said her daughter needed to read and read more to improve. The mother becomes defensive and says my daughter doesn’t like to read. The teacher rightly responded that this is Honors Lit. it requires heavy reading and reading is the basis of learning. Your daughter must learn to love to read. She needs to find what she likes to read and read it or she will not do well in the rest of school and life.
When she left, I intoduced my daughter as the girl who is reading as at the 12th grade level on your reading evaluation. I told her my daughter told me it was sad to see that day how bad some of the other students had done on the reading evaluation that they could not read even close to on level. The teacher told me she is so ticked that they keep putting these kids in honors classes that are so far from even being on level. She then told me that she was proud of my daughter and her group today for making up the work of a group project despite the fact that one of the 4 team members was suspended from school. She said most of the groups would have just not done it and used that as and excuse. She also told me that she is making a list to give to the Administration of the kids who should not be put in Honors classes next year if they manage to pass this year.
Peggy Carter
February 11th, 2011
1:02 am
I also attended the parent tonight. I emailed the admin account of the website about a month ago and I have been in touch with Michelle Rhee’s staff since. I asked them several times when was she coming and finally I received a flyer with an invitation. I have a toddler and already worried about schools so I am trying to stay involved.
I felt empowered and energized. The parents in the room were incredible, the principal of that school was incredible and Michelle Rhee too.
Anthony Krinsky
February 11th, 2011
1:20 am
Public schools are the biggest employer in most towns. Understandably, many people feel threatened by the idea of changing the way we evaluate teachers, by putting students first. And they get out onto these boards to mock meaningful reforms. What they forget and what we know is that schools are for kids. Students come first. I wish it weren’t so hard to stand up to these bullies, but it is and we must. Michelle Rhee is the first public figure in a long time to flaunt the gag rule on talking about real changes in public education. Getting rid of crappy teachers is a huge part of it and makes a huge improvement in school culture and student learning. The teacher unions spend $2 billion per year telling us that everything is fine and people like Michelle are crazy. She is not. Thank god for her courage. The kids need our courage and conviction. We must speak up for them.
Dr. Craig Spinks/ Augusta
February 11th, 2011
5:27 am
Anthony Krinsky,
The last three sentences in your 1:20 A.M. post speak volumes.
May
February 11th, 2011
7:58 am
As a non-educator but concerned parent, I guess I have been naive. I don’t think the system is working for any of our kids. When the top performing children in the US are still ranked outside the top countries in the world I have to ask who thinks this is working? Go Michelle! Keep talking! Use that platform that I think many on this blog are jealous of and make waves!
Public & Private Parent
February 11th, 2011
8:24 am
I forgot to mention that PeachTree Charter looked like an AMAZING school last night. I pass it several times a week taking the kids to after school activities and we watched as it was built. What a wonderful way to use that piece of land and building. I was blown away by the principal who was on fire for education reform. The children who escorted us to our room gave us a great mini-tour as we walked. The parents there sounded very happy with their school choice. I can’t wait to learn more about this specific charter. Looks like an absolutely wonderful place to learn.
atlmom
February 11th, 2011
8:53 am
The reality is many parents *do* have school choice – I can choose where I live, or I can choose to live in a less expensive neighborhood and send my kids to private school, etc…
Some people live hand to mouth. Some people choose where they live because that’s all they can afford. Some people can’t move often, as it costs money (i have an incredibly left leaning friend who not so long ago said something like: i don’t get it, if parents are in a bad school district, why don’t they just move? Um, cause that’s like saying: let them eat cake).
Why is it only ‘privileged’ kids get to go to good schools? Hmmm? The president has school choice.
I’m not saying that vouchers are the answer…but why not vouchers for *just* public schools? Charter schools work where they have a ‘district’ then they open up the remaining spots for any kids in the larger school system. We need SOME SORT of competition….because what we have isn’t working.
Someone mentioned Kira Willis above (the libertarian candidate for State School Superintendent). – I emailed the APS board members and told them that they should consider her for APS superintendent. Of course I got no answer. She’s not part of the group of people that would be looked at. She’s not who the ’search committee’ (that we have to spend 100s of thousands on) will come up with. Because she will be new and different. and bring new and different ideas. that is SO NOT what they are looking for…
Tony
February 11th, 2011
9:00 am
Before I became a teacher, I was a chemist. Part of the history of chemistry is rooted in alchemy. The more I read some of the junk put forth by Rhee, Gates Foundation, Broad, our politicians, and other so-called leaders, the more I’m convinced they think we can actually turn “lead” into “gold”.
Tony
February 11th, 2011
9:01 am
All we have to do is work harder, and it will happen.