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.

Greater Value on Teaching Equals Better Schools, Brighter Future for America

Greater Value on Teaching Equals Better Schools, Brighter Future for America

The uneven appreciation for teachers in America is astonishing. For many years, we have heard countless calls for education reform at many levels, but those calls have either fallen on deaf ears or have been met with feeble attempts to improve. Now, another report has been released, urging the US to raise its status of the teaching profession so that more qualified candidates from the top tiers of their graduating classes will want to become a teacher.  It may seem like a no-brainer in top-scoring countries like Korea, Singapore and Finland who view their teachers as “nation builders”, but in America, teaching has gotten a “bad rap” for being an easy job with field trips and summers off. Hence, teachers are underpaid and receive little support from their leadership. Some of our leaders seem to have ignored the damage it is doing to our children, but if we want to be able to compete with other nations across the globe, we must place a higher value on this issue, which is so critical to America’s security. 

Highlighted Clip for Wednesday, March 16, 2011:

"U.S. Is Urged to Raise Teachers’ Status"

To improve its public schools, the United States should raise the status of the teaching profession by recruiting more qualified candidates, training them better and paying them more, according to a new report on comparative educational systems.

Fighting Back Against Childhood Obesity

Fighting Back Against Childhood Obesity

Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, proposed Thursday to overhaul nutrition guidelines that will reduce sodium, sugar and caloric consumption in public schools.  This is good news, since nearly one-third of today’s children are either obese or at-risk for being obese – a problem that will cost the U.S. nearly $344 billion in additional health care costs by 2018. While good nutrition is essential to maintaining a healthy weight, we should not forget the equally important fact that a healthy diet and exercise go hand-in-hand in fighting obesity. 



Highlighted Clip for Wednesday, January 12, 2011:

School nutrition-guideline changes sought to fight obesity

Tim Carman

Calling it not only a national health issue but also a military one, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Thursday proposed to overhaul the nutrition guidelines …

De-integrating schools: A sign of the times? Or a dangerous step back?

De-integrating schools: A sign of the times?

Or a dangerous step back?

In this modern day and age, a new majority-Republican school board backed by national tea party conservatives, is abolishing a school policy that has kept integration alive in a district that was last in the nation to embrace it. While some view this change as a welcome release from a policy that is “no longer proper or necessary for public schools,” critics say it is a resounding “death knell” to the future of poor students – mostly minorities – who were once able to attend decent schools in more affluent districts. This is another example of the Tea Party’s attempt to turn back the clock on social equality and justice. What are your thoughts?

Highlighted Clip for Wednesday, January 12, 2011:

Republican school board in N.C. backed by tea party abolishes integration policy

Stephanie McCrummen

The sprawling Wake County School District has long been a rarity. Some of its best, most diverse schools are in the poorest sections of this capital city.