Moving Beyond The Hype & Taking A Closer Look at DC Public School Reform

DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, right, smiles during an announcement that she is resigning, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010, during a news conference in Washington. (AP)

Moving Beyond The Hype & Taking A Closer Look at DC Public School Reform

For a sycophantic examination on Rhee-style school reform, read The Bee Eater by Richard Whitmire.  In his homage to Michelle Rhee, the former controversial chancellor of D.C.’s public schools, Whitmire makes no bones about his appreciation for Rhee’s single-minded focus on teacher quality and arrogant carriage of authority. For Whitmire, the end justifies the means.  But exactly what improvements did the Rhee years produce? Questions have surfaced about the integrity of so-called gains in standardized test scores – the very data Rhee hung her hat on.

Whitmire’s glowing analysis of Rhee’s accomplishments falls short of ironclad.

Highlighted Clip for Wednesday, March 30, 2011:

"D.C. School Reform Under Suspicion After Allegations of Inflated Test Scores"

Washington, D.C.'s school district, which has garnered national attention in recent years for its education reform efforts, is under fire after two schools were accused of tampering with tests to give its students better grades.