Comments on: Kinder, Gentler Michelle Rhee

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:39:05 +0000

I agree, this is just another PR ploy by Rhee. She uses the media to mask her deficiency as a true ed administrator. What about grad rates? absenteeism, school violence? Test scores don’t mean anything, a good statistician can fix those. Or, teachers can be pressed to just do test prep.

By: Mary

Mary — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:14:58 +0000

Don’t worry – teachers in DC are not buying it. read the comments section of that column and see for yourself: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/08/AR2009020801711_Comments.html#

They can see that she is completely disengenuous – and that this column is just another indication of it.

By: NYC Educator

NYC Educator — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:38:29 +0000

I don’t know about that..Ms. Rhee has suggested she would do what the hell she wanted, and that she’d do it with or without the union. She suggested if they didn’t give her what she wanted, she’d simply declare a state of emergency and forget about contracts.

Anyone who trusts her after that is not at all bright enough to be a teacher.

By: Paul Hoss

Paul Hoss — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:13:45 +0000

George Parker and Randi Weingarten should bring the Post article with them when they sit down to negotiate a new contract.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:40:38 +0000

I agree. I think it’s also worth noting that up to this point she’s often seemed to be *trying* to create that scorched-earth persona because it makes so many reformers (e.g., anybody at the Education Sector) swoon, and she thinks she needs to develop some constituency to back her up if she’s going to take on the unions. If it turns out she really *does* need union cooperation, I don’t know how she’s going to be able to walk the line between being nice to teachers and giving Andy Rotherham the vapors.