Michelle Rhee in Washington, DC

October 12th, 2008

Michelle Rhee in Washington, DC
The Series

Produced by: Jane Renaud, Cat McGrath & David Wald

The lack of sustained leadership has plagued the Washington, DC public school system for decades. Our nation’s capital, home to fifty thousand students, boasts one of the worst school districts in the country. Two thirds of students are far behind in reading, in math, three quarters.

In June 2007 new mayor Adrian Fenty assumed control of the ailing school system, firing the incumbent superintendent and replacing him with Michelle Rhee. Some questioned her lack of experience managing a public school system. Others felt she was exactly what was needed – a change agent from outside the district. In July the city council unanimously voted her in. Since then she has plotted a deliberate, and frequently controversial, course.

This series follows Michelle Rhee’s attempts to reform one of the most challenged school districts in America. Can Rhee provide a model of reform for the entire country, delivering on her promise of an excellent education for every child?

These videos, as part of the “Leadership: A Challenging Course” series, have won a Cine Golden Eagle and two EWA awards.

Watch the entire series in the video playlist below. Browse podcasts & related content on the right.

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This program was made by possible by support from the Annenberg, The Eli and Edythe Broad, Bill & Melinda Gates, William and Flora Hewlett and Wallace Foundations.

Tags: adrian fenty, dc, george parker, michelle rhee, newshour, School Reform, urban education, Video, washington

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8 comments

May 6, 2009 at 12:10 am
Francis Tsai says:

It is so heart warming to finally see somebody like Michelle Rhee with the guts to actually do something about what typifies the unbelievable short-comings of the education system in America. The teachers’ union is unhappy because she will not tolerate the mediocrity that the incompetent teachers have been enjoying as a result of tenure for so long at the cost of a good education for thousands of America’s young people who will suffer for the rest of their lives as a result of the totally inadequate public education they got. And it is obvious that this is a “black on black” crime because the mojority of the students appear to be African Americans and the head of the union is black himself. Anybody with a brain can easily conclude that the level of teaching will sky-rocket if the teachers are given the opportunity to make a six figure income if they give up their tenure. The people who are against it are the people who want to avoid responsibility and hide under the protection of tenure. These people should be held responsible for the kids who fail in life as a result of the poor instruction by the dead-beat teachers.

May 8, 2009 at 10:06 am
E favorite says:

” Anybody with a brain can easily conclude that the level of teaching will sky-rocket if the teachers are given the opportunity to make a six figure income if they give up their tenure.” Sorry, Francis Tsai, I disagree, as would many teachers and people who know what motivates teachers. It’s not money, or they wouldn’t go into the field in the first place and many would not opt for private schools where the pay is low but parent involvement and student good behavior is high. Most teachers are not corporate climbers out for glory and big bucks, they’re humanitarians who want to have an impact on children. Tenure protects them from willful administrators and pushy parents who have their own interests at heart, not the students. Incompetent teachers can be fired, with due process. If they aren’t, blame the administrators who won’t take the time to do it.

May 9, 2009 at 3:16 pm
CAROLE FIELDS says:

The District of Columbia Public School System is a laboratory. Our children have been used by more than 13 Superintendents(in a thirty year period) to advance their careers. Each has brought in new blueprints to fix what is wrong. When each has left, chaos remains. The “new sheriffs in town” have decidedly different ideas to fix the problems. Trying to hold things together are the teachers. While we make the best of limited supplies, poor physical working environments, little support from administration, and a structured curriculum that allows for limited creativity and diversity of population, we try to do our best. it is very easy for those who have spent less than five years in this environment to criticize those who have been there. In the corporate,military, legal,or medical professions, when have the underlings been made to feel that they are the responsible persons for limited success? It is the one at the top who garners the big salaries and perks who make the decisions but now in DC it is the ones at the bottom who are held responsible if their ideas fail. Is that fair? Allow me to go into my classroom, provide me with the supplies, materials, and support needed, and then hold me accountable. It is unfair to the students to have weekly reports of the poor quality of teachers they have. As a parent would you have failth in the quality of the schhol, or would you be more likely to enroll your student elsewhere. We need to stop playing the blame game and all stakeholders, superintendent, principals, teachers, parents, students, and community come together as a unit,to assure the success of our children. Private interests have no business determining our children’s future.

May 9, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Christine Adams says:

I am very concerned with the direction our school system is going. I am especially concern with the teachers of DCPS. We are working with fear and stress by constantly being told by our principals that we may lose our jobs if the test scores aren’t up. So all of this causes teachers and administrators to perhaps assist students more than they should with the yearly tests that are administered. Too much stress!

August 18, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Renee / TeachMoore says:

To Francis T, Michelle Rhee, and so many others:
If teacher unions and their contracted benefits such as tenure are the problem everyone seems to think they are, then why is it that students and schools in those parts of the country where there is no collective bargaining (no tenure, no seniority, limited due process)are in general doing WORSE than those that have those things?

December 22, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Tim G says:

Michelle Rhee IS at the top. Teachers are at the bottom. I think what Miss Rhee is trying to do is bring everyone up to where we should be. You don’t have to be in public schools to see what’s happening in them, just watch the news on a daily basis and we all know that something new must be done and it must be done now, today. I know where Miss Rhee is heading and I support her 100%. Emotional Intelligence has been around for 25 years now. It’s time to implement it now.

December 23, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Diane Aoki says:

emotional intelligence? I don’t see what you mean by that. It seems that what Rhee and the like are looking at is test scores and they don’t seem to care about anyone’s emotions or development of emotional intelligence. Maybe I missed something. We need to stop defining success and achievement by test scores. Yes, there is lots of room for improvement and change and it is not by putting pressure on students and teachers to raise test scores. Be innovative. Provide students with facilities and resources that well-funded schools have. Make education meaningful and relevant. I would like to see her be a teacher or principal at one of these schools and see if she can do what she is asking her principals and teachers to do.

April 7, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Julias Jackson says:

I don’t Miss Rhee is just looking to improve test scores because that by itself does not mean much I believe her focus is improving performance at all levels and rewarding performance accordingly. As a teacher I would be very happy with 21% over five years. That does come at a cost especially when it depends on meeting very high expectations.

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