In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Michelle Rhee responded to questions about John Merrow’s “smoking memo,” the one that showed that she and other top officials were aware of allegations of widespread cheating but failed to investigate.
Howard Blume of the Times reports that Rhee met with the editorial board of the paper.
When Merrow had asked her about the memo, she said so many memos crossed her desk that she couldn’t remember this one. Now she says the memo was not important.
“In an interview with The Times editorial board, Rhee said that although she “didn’t see the memo” at the time, consultant Sandy Sanford “was just writing a memo based on something that we already broadly knew.””
So now she says she didn’t see the memo, and even if she had, it contained nothing new. Everyone already knew there was widespread cheating, so there was no reason to investigate.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Now her lies have lies embedded in the lies.
Go away Rhee and take your erasers with you!
Yes! Be gone.
Weil:
“poor Jenny, bright as a penny. . .her equal would be hard to find. . . Anyone with vision comes to this decision. . .Don’t make up your mind!”
Let’s see:
1. There was no significant cheating when I was superintendent.
2. The memo was unimportant to the conversations we had about cheating.
3. I never saw the memo.
Reminds me of the “kettle defense” Freud reported for one man accused of returning a broken kettle to his neighbor:
1. I gave it back in perfect condition.
2. It was broken when I got it.
3. I never borrowed it.
It also reminds me of that Martin Short character on SNL who would deny,deny,deny. Funny in a gentler time, but portentious in this day & age.
Think it’s possible for the LA Times editorial board to be objective when Eli Broad is on the verge of buying their paper?
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/billionaire-eli-broad-teams-financier-428784
Broad loves Rhee. When Chancellor, she would even rendezvous with him at his 5th Ave. apartment in NYC.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/36893/fund-and-games
Sociopathic responses from a sociopath are to be expected. Be surprised only when it doesn’t happen ( which is never).
“So now she says she didn’t see the memo, and even if she had, it contained nothing new. Everyone already knew there was widespread cheating, so there was no reason to investigate.”
Wow. This woman better watch that in her dismissve arrogance she doesn’t actually say as much out ooud.
loud
If she doesn’t remember this memo then she is a complete incompetent. I remember students who have cheated, and I’m just a public school teacher
She did not deserve to lead a school district. She had not experience, no understanding, no integrity. She is incompetent and pernicious.
And a bold faced liar.
Never hire a non-teacher to do a teacher’s job.
And never promote them to be your media whore to destroy the entire profession.
Tips from the real teachers of America.
And if memory serves me…Sandy was paid $220k for his consulting work. (Has anybody thought to reach out to her data queen, Erin McGoldrick to chat and chew the fat with her and see if MIchelle’s story jives?) And to think that she already knew what was in the memo…wow. It’s absolutely mind-blowing that she is still so cavalier. Almost taunting in her tone and demeanor? Don’t you think?
Erin McGoldrick was utterly data-challenged. She didn’t know what a standard deviation was, but was head of Data for DC public schools because she was BFF with Rhee and Henderson.
mad love and respect to you, sir!
Doesn’t matter. It’s her “gotcha!” moment, as in “Got Rhee!” This is her spoken admission that she KNEW, so whether she admits to seeing the memo or not is irrelevant–she said, in an interview, “…we already broadly knew.”
If THIS is what’s graduated from Harvard, why are parents clamoring to get their kids in?!
retiredbutmissthekids: I agree that this may be the “Got Rhee” moment but it is useful that she was forced to admit publicly that “we already broadly knew” about the scope and nature of the cheating. Obviously she is trying to blend into a crowd in order to dilute her personal responsibility when she says “we” but the inevitable next question is “We who?” with [I am guessing] the strong possibility that the answer will include the current Chancellor of DCPS. Perhaps I am discounting Rhee’s personal charisma too much but methinks the rest of the crowd will not want to fall on their swords for her; hence, in sheer self-defense there may soon be potential new sources of inside info.
The memo along with this interview provides damning evidence of stunning managerial incompetence and a profound lack of moral leadership. How easy is it to forget a short four-page memo from a highly paid consultant that boldly states at the top and bottom of each page “Sensitive Information — Treat as Confidential” with the entire fourth page devoted to “Recommendations” with the first being “That we keep this Erasure study really close hold. No more people in the know than necessary until we have more conclusive results”? Even run-of-the-mill leaders know how to prioritize their time and efforts, especially when both personal honor and organizational integrity are at stake.
To cap it off, well, here are the last four paragraphs of the LATimes article:
“In the interview, Rhee also confirmed that one of her two daughters attends a private school in Tennessee, where the girls live with their father, that state’s top education official. Rhee is now married to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.
She has previously described herself as a “public-school parent.” An aide repeated that phrase when The Times asked directly if Rhee’s children were in public or private school.
“I try to maintain some level of privacy for my kids by not divulging too much information,” Rhee said. “I say I’m a public-school parent when my kid goes to private school.
“I believe in parental choice,” she said. “I think I should be able to choose … and every parent should have that option too.””
It is charitable to describe the above comments as contradictory, self-serving, misleading and incoherent. And completely consistent on the personal level with her deplorable behavior as a former Chancellor of DCPS and current leader of the advocacy/lobbyist group StudentsFirst.
Is this what a Harvard education amounts to nowadays?
🙂
So sad about Harvard – they are corrupt too. I remember a book published by Michael Fullen vaunting then Rhee-like superintendent Alan Bersin in San Diego. Can’t trust Harvard anymore. The money is just too seductive to maintain academic purity. Think Aron Swartz.
Her comments are an open admission of guilt since she states that everyone knew about the widespread cheating after having previously denied it took place. Painting yourself this deeply into your own corner is an arrogance that can only be defended by connections to wealth and power. Rhee is telling everyone to go F*%K themselves, she’s too big to fail. Look for the DC teachers and principals to be scapegoated in a diversionary defense of Rhee and the reform agenda. After saying this, that’s her only play. Those in Atlanta are going to be jailed in advance of this playing out, jailed for being coerced by the reformers agenda into betraying their core values in defense of their careers and students schools. That miscarriage of justice will be the public relations precedent, one that will cause the accused witnesses to come forward to attack the system itself.
A better question than what did Rhee know, is who is smarter, Palin or Rhee?
Maybe she can see Alcatraz from Kev #2’s house in Sacramento?
GREAT analogy, Linda! Very clever!
(And–why is everyone talking about Palin, here? Really, we have enough to worry about already!)
Any remnants of Rhee’s credibility is about to implode. I believe her lack of character will be her final undoing and her failed policies will become just awful memories.
Her masters will see to it that she lands softly.
Especially since she is the “head” reformer. Wink!
Whether Rhee is indicted or not, now “everyone” knows she is a liar and a fraud. To me, the proof was when she rewarded the school with the “miracle” scores. Any college graduate would know that those scores were not legitimate. She knew but she didn’t count on being caught.
“She knew but she didn’t count on being caught.” Typical behavior of a sociopath or a person who “has no regrets”. Talk about being delusional. Yikes!
Create awareness….create awareness…create awareness….Diane’s efforts, along with so many bloggers ,parents, and advocates are doing a wonderful job and it will work. The LA Times poll attached to the article demonstrates the shysters aren’t pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes anymore. It overwhelmingly shows no one is interested in what Michelle Rhee has to say…..
And the question is:
Should California listen to Michelle Rhee on schools?
79% NO to 21% yes and the comments have her pegged.
Adios Rheeject!
An overwhelming majority of Americans have responded to polls that they approve of gun controls. We know how that went over with our “United States” Senators in votes this week in the Senate.
I’ve followed Ms. Rhee for years. It is incomprehensible to me how she has been “ordained” the savior of public education. Let’s also include the former mayor of D.C., Adrian Fenty. He didn’t pull the trigger, but he was accomplice #1.
I don’t get it… How can the editorial board NOT write a scathing editorial about this? How can it be that NO ONE is seeking a deeper investigation of the DC testing? How can a school superintendent “BROADLY know” that cheating is taking place in her schools and not want to SPECIFICALLY know where it is taking place and how many are involved?
Please write to Arne: arne.duncan@ed.gov
I have written to Arne. He don’t listen. Grammar intentional. Using informal register cuz I am disgusted.
Copy that, Grace. FORGET about Arne (& Obama). Let’s accomplish what we need to where we are.
So, she admits to “broadly knowing” that cheating was occurring but still made decisions on personnel, promotions and bonuses anyway?
As a teacher, I guess it’s ok if a student openly cheats but I still grant them the grade for their unethical performance. I just want to follow in the footsteps of this bold reformer.
What a freaking liar! And the editorial boards of all of our newspapers and media take her seriously because she is supported by nearly 100% of the one-one hundredth of one percent who own and run our country. It’s disgusting.
The next logical question is, who will take her place?
I am not convinced she is going away (unfortunately for children and communities).
That’s just it: There is no “Second In Command” for The Privatizers—or as they falsely call themselves, “Education Reformers”.
That’s why the 1% has “Circled The Yachts” for “their gal”, Michelle Rhee. They DO consider her “Too Big To Fail”.
They made Rhee “The Face of the Education Reform” movement. If she goes down, IT goes down. That’s why she’s clinging so desperately, making it up as she goes along; and that’s why they CAN’T just “cut her loose” as they normally would when a person becomes a liability.
They made Rhee what she is and they’ve invested way too much to watch their investment crash and burn.
But it’s just a matter of time as more information trickles out…
Buh bye, Michelle. 😉
When are the teacher unions in this country going to stop being part of the problem and become part of the solution. Go ahead tear down those who try to make a difference for the kids because that is what you do! Pathetic.
What kind of foolishness is this? Spin, lie, smoke and mirrors and then spin again. Over and over with the same junk. Blume will not write real stories. I have given him tons. Out the window. If he tried the Times would fire and blackball him. The same with the L.A. Daily News. The same with radio and T.V. Now let us all thank Bill Clinton for the 1996 Telecommunications Act which ended the “Free Press.”
Like the Wicked Witch of the West, she will melt into a puddle (of her own doing–her web of lies), vanishing from the public eye. Did her book become a best seller? No. Did you see her come to a Barnes and Noble–or any bookstore–in a big city? (Didn’t see/hear her in Chicago.) We were waiting for her, waiting to stand outside a bookstore with our signs and protests. But–like a vampire–she only came out at night (or at least just presented her meaningless diatribes to her BBC audiences–for a hefty fee). Therefore, I am thinking that her golden era is coming to an end–I think that any journalist who would be foolish enough to have her on after this expose–without asking the hard questions–risks his/her reputation as any kind of journalist.
Additionally, since she just made that–let’s face it!–stupid & revealing comment about not having had to see the memo, because she knew it (!), I would think Reid Weingarten would be wise to issue a gag order on her. No one wants to play with you anymore, Michelle. And frankly, my dear, we don’t give a damn.
If you really want to help turn them on their head go to Monica Ratliff’s website at http://www.monicaratliff2013.com to see what she supports. If you agree and want to help make a national statement at the second largest school district in the U.S., LAUSD, help give us the 4th angel and stop this mess her where there are the most charter schools, about 260, and the larges concentration of the push for the hedge funds and privatization and corporatization in the U.S. Her email is monicaratliff2013@gmail.com. If we stop them here in the next upcoming real soon election it is the beginning of the end for them. The children need your help. It cannot only be Chicago and CTU. Can you imagine if UTLA joined with CTU? IMAGINE.
As a person who is not a fan of Rhee, I think it will be interesting to see what happens.
Nothing will happen…she is protected and it goes all the way to the top…Obama and Duncan. If she falls, this whole charade falls. This was never reform…they hijacked the word.
Let’s tweet bomb Obama and Duncan to investigate about Rhee’s test erasure scandal?
And by the way, the new spin will be that we need better tests and the PARCC/SBAC will be computerized and require high level thinking so it will be impossible to cheat. That’s the new reformy solution.
Short and sweet (not Rhee, my comment), Michelle Rhee is an unrepentant, serial liar who has no shame.
Liar. Greedy. Mean. No class. Too busy to raise her own children.