StudentsFirst.com has published its 2014 annual report card regarding education policies at the state level. New York ranked 28 out of the 50 states and received an overall grade of D, or a GPA of 1.29. Not exactly college-bound scores.
New York also received a D+ at elevating the teaching profession, F at empowering parents, and a C+ for efficient spending of education dollars.
The report is the work of education reformer Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst organization and basically serves to promote the ideas that Rhee says are needed to upgrade education in US public schools. Rhee is extremely anti-union and vigorously opposes teacher tenure, seniority, and labor agreements. She advocates teacher evaluations linked to student test scores and merit pay for teachers.
The policies that Rhee supports are also pro-business, aimed at creating a work force that she says is better prepared for global competition.
But does the StudentsFirst report card accurately reflect how well some states are in education? Do Rhee’s policies work?
Diane Ravitch calls Rhee’s report card ludicrous because states like Massachusetts are clearly leading the nation in student performance, but not highly rated according to StudentsFirst.
And Washington DC, for example, though making strides according StudentsFirst, continues to struggle.
This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2014.
Michelle Rhee is a fraud.
Michelle Rhee is a “fraud,” if by fraud you mean a fearless and prophetic leader.
@b.d.g.:
“Fraud” as in:
– All of three years in the classroom – including falsified test data;
– Never a principal;
– Never an assistant principal;
– Never a curricula director, special education director, testing/assessment – nada, nothing;
– No evident knowledge of curriculum;
– No evident knowledge of pedagogy;
– Falsified testing documents during her short, destructive time in DC;
– Produced nothing while in DC – left it a mess.
“Fraud” as in not an educator but a fake educator, a politician, pandering to the monied interests.
@Troll: The last item in your list is false, and the rest are all in Rhee’s favor. We need many, many more civic leaders with the backbone to take on the pernicious power of the unions and other corrupt vested interests and WIN.
@b.d.g., Rhee left DC a mess. The kids were worse off for her. Then there is still that huge cheating scandal on her “watch,” still simmering.