I can’t understand Arne Duncan and President Obama’s infatuation with Michelle Rhee.
Rhee says she is raising $1 billion, and we know that she is spending in state after state–to support Republican candidates.
In Wisconsin, a swing state, she gave to Republicans.
She gives to Republicans because they are likeliest to support her anti-union, anti-teacher, anti-public education agenda.
She just gave money to some Republicans in Florida, which is a swing state for President Obama.
Can anyone explain the President’s and Secretary’s fondness for this woman who is supporting those who will fight Obama?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
In CT she had to create a new name…GNEPSA….Great New England Public School Alliance because she was a pariah here.This was uncovered during our reform battle in the spring. Recently a local politician running for state office received unsolicited and unwanted support from GNEPSA, ConnAd and Bloomberg. His district received shiny flyers and robo calls. People knew all about her and he received many calls and emails. He issued a statement (needless to say she is not wanted in our state):
My campaign has recently become aware that an outside group identifying itself as the Great New England Public Schools Alliance, funded by wealthy donors including Students First, has intervened in the 19th Senate District Democratic primary. I want to be clear that my campaign and I never sought this group’s endorsement or support, and we do not condone their agenda or tactics.
I am a proud supporter of public schools and public school teachers. My commitment to improving public education is reflected in the endorsements I’ve received from both the American Federation of Teachers and the Connecticut Education Association.
I have always believed that meaningful education reform will never be achieved by bashing teachers or unions, and I reject the agenda of any organization that believes reform can only be advanced by privatizing public schools or diminishing the role of teachers as partners. That’s why I supported the education reform bill passed in the 2012 legislative session, which resulted from the diligent efforts of all stakeholders working collaboratively and in good faith.
It is outrageous that my campaign is being used by special interests and big money that seek to influence the outcome of elections, a continuation of a disturbing trend we are witnessing nationwide. The efforts of these groups undermine the integrity of our elections and our political process.
As a State Senator, I will continue working to strengthen our public schools in cooperation with teachers and to restrict the influence of outside groups who wish to hijack our elections.
Statement from Tom Reynolds
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Here is the link to his site and statement:
http://www.tomreynoldsct.com/blog/2012/08/09/tom-reynolds-disclaims-support-by-outside-group-great-new-england-public-schools-alliance/
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I am pleased that he is recoiling from that group like a scalded cat. It means that some politicians are paying attention.
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I always love your word choice.
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Thanks. My teachers encouraged a lot of reading and writing. I suck at standardized tests, though.
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I think Obama and Duncan align with Michelle Rhee on the basis of a common enemy: public institutions and teacher unions. In addition, they share common allies in the form of big money: foundations and corporations.
If unions are destroyed and the profession transformed into a technical activity that can be completed by minimally trained “widgets” (supervised by a few “irreplaceables”), then churn (teacher and school turnover) can be increased and profits can be made. Job protection is expensive. Teaching and learning is intensely human and, to be done well, most of the money must be spent on good teachers – not computers, not software, not even textbooks.
The children of the wealthy will be utterly unaffected by Obama’s education policies.
This saddens and sickens me, but the evidence is overwhelming.
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“I think Obama and Duncan align with Michelle Rhee on the basis of a common enemy: public institutions and teacher unions. In addition, they share common allies in the form of big money: foundations and corporations.”
Yes. Perhaps Obama is not the democrat we thought he was, but rather a neoliberal. Here’s a helpful explanation of neoliberalism – http://corpwatch.org/article.php?id=376
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The beauty of the term is that “neoliberal” sounds good to an uninformed or naive left-leaner (unless they look it up).
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“The children of the wealthy will be utterly unaffected by Obama’s education policies.”
Yep, heading straight towards a third world status education system.
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They’re all stealth Republicans.
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She must have pictures. Just kidding, but otherwise it makes no sense to me.
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Of course she has pictures, straight from the North Korean Intelligence Agency who sent her here to destroy American public education-ha ha! Now it should make sense!
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In Missouri, Students Last (SL) not only funds the republicans but also democrats. From Stlgretchen’s Missourieducationwatchdog.com blog which shows SL giving to nine repubs and 8 dems:
Representative Steve Webb (D) – 67th House District Rep. Webb’s leadership as Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus has been vital to the advancement of education reform discourse, as well as passing of education reform legislation, in Missouri.
Representative Jamilah Nasheed (D) – 5th Senate District Representative Jamilah Nasheed plans to bring her experiences from the State House to the State Senate this coming year. As Chair of the Urban Issues Committee, Rep. Nasheed is highly qualified to tackle the problems facing students in urban school districts.
Representative Chrissy Sommer (R) – 106th House District Parents are among the most critical stakeholders in education. As the former President of the Harvest Ridge PTO, Rep. Chrissy Sommer has firsthand experience in working with schools to improve outcomes for students.
Sarah Gillooly (D) – 24th House District Sarah Gillooly is a community activist who has spent her career advocating for the most vulnerable members of society. If elected, she will carry that passion with her to the State House.
John Sellars (R) – 134th House District Throughout his career, John Sellars has held various management positions that have taught him how to be an effective leader. As a substitute teacher and spouse of a a long time schoolteacher, he brings a practitioner’s perspective to the challenges currently facing Missouri’s school system.
Representative Bill Lant (R) – 159th House District Representative Bill Lant is a former school board member with a deep understanding of the problems currently facing Missouri’s schools.
Representative Sylvester Taylor (D) – 75th House District Rep. Taylor has been a strong proponent of what is best for kids in his district. If reelected, he will advocate for changes that will improve outcomes for students not only across his district, but also across Missouri.
Derrick Good (R) – 111th House District Derrick Good is a practicing attorney who is familiar with the intricacies of the law. If elected, he will work to prioritize education reform legislation that provides teachers with meaningful feedback on their teaching performance.
Eugene Dokes (R) – 70th House District As a former member of the Navy and a businessman, Dr. Dokes understands the meaning of responsibility and public service and will work to ensure that Missouri’s children are adequately prepared to compete in the 21st Century.
Representative Penny Hubbard (D) – 78th House District Representative Penny Hubbard has been one of the strongest Democratic voices for education reform that puts the student at the center of every decision in the State House. If reelected, she will continue to be a supporter of improving schools both in St. Louis as well as across Missouri.
Representative Kevin Elmer (R) – 139th House District Representative Kevin Elmer has a great track record of prioritizing what is best for students. In this coming legislative session, he will continue to be an advocate for Missouri’s children.
Representative Mike Colona (D) – 80th House District As the House Minority Whip, Rep. Mike Colona is one of the most influential proponents of education reform in the Missouri Legislature.
Mike Owens (D) – 84th House District Mike Owens is a 30-year veteran journalist who knows what it means to hold public officials accountable. Owens plans to bring this sense of accountability to the school system if elected to the State House.
Representative Mike McGhee (R) – 21st Senate District Making sure every child in Missouri has the option to attend a high quality school is one of the priorities of Rep. Mike McGhee’s Senate race. His belief in the need for real change to improve public education that, if elected, will make a difference for all children not only in his district, but also across the state.
Martin Casas (D) – 79th House District Martin Casas is a parent and small business owner who has campaigned on the importance of great teachers and great schools for all children. If elected, he will prioritize education reform as one of his top priorities.
Representative Ward Franz (R) – 33rd Senate District, former Chair of the Republican Caucus Representative Ward Franz is a leader looking to move from the State House to the State Senate. As the former Chair of the Republican Caucus in the House, Rep. Franz will be a powerful proponent of education reform in the Senate.
Lt. Governor Peter Kinder (R) As the current Lt. Governor, Peter Kinder has worked to help the state to prosper. LT. Governor Kinder has been an advocate for some of the most vulnerable groups in Missouri and, if reelected, will continue to be an advocate for students across Missouri.
For those who have forgotten what StudentsFirst is, this is the brainchild of Michelle Rhee who has become the darling of education reform. You can read more about her and this group here, here, here and here.
StudentsFirst goals for Missouri are:
revised teacher evaluations (already done with Common Core Standards and the NCLB waiver we recently received – don’t know what else SF can do);
tenure reform (tenure is covered by district contract which is currently negotiated individually by each school district – I guess SF would like to take that decision out of local control as well)
school choice (i.e. charter schools which will only provide choice to the parents in which building their child will be taught Common Core Standards).
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As mentioned she has a different name in CT. Here is the story behind it:
StudentsFirst spokesperson, sent me this statement: “You got us. When we listed the CEO of StudentsFirst on GNEPSA’s public disclosure forms, designed GNEPSA’s logo to be derivative of the StudentsFirst logo and had the GNEPSA website take you to the StudentsFirst website* where you saw a StudentsFirst TV ad, we were sure no one would know GNEPSA and StudentsFirst were connected.
There’s no mention of a GNEPSA website on the mailer and it’s hard to find on the Internet unless you specifically perform a Google search for GNEPSA.org. And then you are redirected to StudentsFirst. Phew! I really need a drink.
http://blog.ctnews.com/politicalcapitol/2012/04/17/students-first-i-mean-gnepsa-sends-out-slick-mailer/
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As long is her bottom line is met, I don’t think she really cares who is in office.
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FIRE DUNCAN! Hire Ravitch!
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Diane, the reason is simple: there is no fundamental difference between Republican and Obama-led democrat positions on public education. To cite old George Wallace, once they’re in Washington, there isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between them.
You yourself noted devoted Dem and Mayor of Chicago taking on teachers as though they were contagiously diseased. Obama’s appointed Arne Duncan takes his marching orders from Gates, et al.
I agree with 90% of everything you say, but for you to say that Republicans are “likeliest” to support Rhee’s anti-union, anti-teacher and anti-public education policies is no more true than to suggest that Bill Gates is ready to give up galvanic bracelets or gaming as pedagogy.
Both parties are on the same page; it is we teachers who are in fundamental agreement, standing against their united groundswell against us.
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I’m sorry. But I must disagree with the sweeping generalizations. There are SEGMENTS of both parties that are essentially the same on many issues, particularly education. But the parties as a whole are quite different on this vital issue.
Republicans ARE more likely to support so-called “education reform” than most Democrats. About 99% of Republicans are vociferous backers of these odious measures; I’d approximate that about 25% to 30% of “Democrats” agree with them. However, because they include so many nationally prominent figures—like Obama, Duncan, Emanuel and others—it becomes easy to say, “Hey, they all stink equally!”
But they don’t. It’s very important that we make fine distinctions in these debates, and be as precise in our criticism as possible.
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Romney is very clear in his support for privatization; so are Chris Christie, Scott Walker, John Kasich, Rick Scott, Mitch Daniels, and other Republican governors.
When Romney released his education agenda, the Obama camp responded that they agreed with everything he said, that they were already doing it, all except vouchers, and they pointed out that Christie and other Republican governors have praised Race to the Top. I blogged about this but don’t have time to look it up for you. There is a disgusting bipartisan consensus on the odious reform agenda.
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Because she’s a Democrat!!
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No she’s not, she’s a political whore that’s all.
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They say she’s a Democrat. Her husband is one. I wonder if she is even registered in DC, and now whether she is registered in CA and if so, what her party affiliation is. Most likely an Independent. Then again, she claims shes a Dem and we all now how good her word is. We know she didn’t register as a lobbyist in CT.
Perplexing. I see her as a conservaDem or DINO at best. She would argue that in education there are no Democratic or Republican sides.
Now, maybe someone can ask Arne or POTUS, why the infatuation? Something they need to seriously consider in the next few weeks. Not answering or reflecting may cost them a sizable number of the 3.5M teachers who generally vote Democratic.
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Diane, are you certain that Obama and Duncan are STILL enthusiastic backers of Rhee? For reasons of survival alone, they have likely abandoned her at this point. I suspect she’s having problems getting her phone calls returned at the White House and the DOE.
I know that they WERE big backers of Rhee, but that was in her “Glory Days” before her miscreant boss was rightfully decimated at the polls almost two years ago.
Now, with “Waiting For Superman” being exposed as the propaganda that it is, and serious questions about Rhee and cheating during her DC tenure, “the thrill is gone” with Rhee.
Have either Obama or Duncan made any explicit mentions of Rhee in the last year or two? I wonder if your question was more accurate in 2010 than it is today?
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I have no idea what Obama and Duncan think right now, but Duncan co-starred with Rhee at a “data summit” in January 2012. If he was distancing himself, he would not have been there. See here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/duncan-rhee-starring-at-our-hearts-belong-to-data-summit/2012/01/11/gIQA7bh46P_blog.html
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Joe Biden likes here. See here:
http://www.google.com/search?q=biden+rhee+photo&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#biv=i|0;d|GLMOcYOlq3E_FM:
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