Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Thank God the Queen (of education 'reform') is dead

So much for Michelle Rhee and her high stakes testing to judge student and teacher performance.

Just had this little piece sent to me. Apparently, Rhee's claims about working so hard to get her elementary school students' scores to 'drastically improve' are quite unfounded.

Not that she didn't work hard. Rather, that the tests results weren't nearly as good as she said they were. Here is a great excerpt from the story -

Rhee told me that her information about huge gains in her students' scores came from her principal at the time. She had no data to back it up, but went with the best information she had, her memory, when asked how her students did. Until Brandenburg dug deep, nobody had the real data.

I just think it's so ironic how she raked her principals over the coals for not having cold hard facts or proof about effective teaching and student achievement. And yet, she never hesitated to boast about her gains and supposed 'effectiveness.' And where is the proof?

Perhaps, she would fire her principal? Or herself (if she still taught).

But she need not worry, the people 'fired' her - they grew tired of Adrian Fenty, who put her in power, and voted him out of office.

Nice move.

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