This is the memo leaked to John Merrow by an official at the D.C. Public Schools.
It answers some of the questions;
What did Rhee know?
When did she know it?
What did she do about it?
She says she got lots of memos. Do you think this one was so unimportant that she forgot about it?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I do think that we should refer to Merrow as the “Woodward/Bernstein” of the current public education scandal and we should call this ED-UGATE!!!!! Let us hope that Rhee is just the first domino of many to fall and that this nation can begin to fix the horrific damage done by a combination of “corporate ed reform” and increasing poverty.
This is a brilliant reminder of possibility for the road toward understanding and truth. You are so on point to advise those too young to remember of the journalist investigators of another era and how good research, risk and daring, journalistic integrity, can prevail
and remind us of the decency that can be found once again. This is an EDUGATE and the Civil Rights Issue of our times! It is well constructed and well financed, but it is a lie and manipulative deceitful greed and power ploy perpetrated on children, the poor and disenfrancished, immigrants, and middle-class workers, as well as
the educated mentors of our population. On our country and the future others would have us buy into.
Mr. Merrow and those that have worked with him have opened Pandora’s Box for some and a way back to truth for others. This is not about one person like Michelle Rhee (although putting one face on the real story makes it easier to understand) but a deliberate and well constructed leap to power and change of life and living the rest of us were not privy to be respected enough for serious input. This story is HUGE and it will make media face itself.
The newest battle on the firing front will be making sure she is investigated properly and not just by City Hall over in D.C.
WIthout this crucial step, her and her billionaire privatizer friends will smother her vicious steps more smoothly than hollandaise over asparagus . . .
No, it was very important, and that’s why she went out of her way to forget about it.
Right! Her reply in not recalling this particular memo is beyond unbelievable – it is preposterous.
This, to me, is the equivalent of an IRS letter arriving at your door via certified mail! Only it’s not saying, we plan to audit – it’s saying, we investigated and you better provide answers immediately.
Seriously, who does she think she’s kidding?
Further, if she can’t recall this crucial 4-pg memo among the many she received while Chancellor – what in the world does the rest of her memos reveal then? I suppose you could conclude that her other memos must have been led to outright indictments!
Rhee has retained Reid Weingarten, who had headed the public integrity division of the US Dept of Justice, and who was the principal defense attorney for among others Bernie Ebbers. Weingarten specializes in white collar criminal defense work.
We are so focused on Rhee and the “reformers” that we forget about the original “reformers” who blamed teachers to protect their 6 figure salaries, pensions, and reputations.
We forget about the public school administrative class to our peril.
One does not forget something of such importantance, although I am sure she would like to forget about it.
Time for Arne Duncan, to issue a statement. Easy to comment when his darling was glowing in the spotlight, but very quiet when she is being exposed for cheating America.
Start a petition to do so, or have the possibility to do so! We are up against very powerful people and institutions. . . .
How easy was it to forget this memo? Let’s be fair…
Prominently featured at the top and bottom of all four pages: “Sensitive Information—Treat as Confidential.”
I’m sure everyone sees papers flagged like this all the time. Be honest now. ‘Nuff said.
On page four, titled “Recommendations” and entirely filled with eight of them, the first one being: “1. That we keep this Erasure study really close hold. No more people in the know than necessary until we have more conclusive results.”
The author of the report was obviously hysterical. What difference would it have made if everyone in the central office, or even the news media, had seen it the day before—or after—she was on the cover of Newsweek? Big hullabaloo about nothing. I am sure everyone reading this posting has been on the cover of Newsweek at least once or twice. Moving on…
On page four, the eighth and last recommendation: “That I continuously keep you informed (day by day) as I continue to refine the erasure study data.”
Perhaps Superintendent Rhee’s critics fail to understand she was receiving day-to-day updates on literally thousands of critical aspect of DCPS, from the number of bubble gum wrappers left on elementary school grounds after lunch [which had to be filed under “fire custodial staff”] to exhaustively detailed breakdowns of every principal’s latest test scores [file mostly under “fire administrative staff” although a few ended up under the curious title “bonuses to buddies”]. Everybody in the school district—especially those lazy LIFOs who could have spent their time writing to her to actually teach something in the classrooms— were bombarding her with paperpaperpaper each and every day, not to mention the endless stream of text messages sent via computers and iPhones. She heroically soldiered on, carefully perusing each one, when she should have been able to, let’s say, spend more time with Mayor Fenty and with the community in those wonderful get-togethers that earned her universal praise. Everyone thought that whatever small, unimportant thing they were doing demanded her attention. How in the world was she to make her way through such a morass and keep her sanity? C’mon, there are only so many hours in the day and days in the week.
Now that I’ve clear that up—feel better? Everyone? Anyone?
“Laughter is poison to tyrants.”
🙂
what Rhee ensured is that there never was more definitive information. The 2008 scores have not been thoroughly examined. The subsequent examinations were limited, focused on a narrow slice of possible problem areas, and oh by the way let’s look at the 2009 scores why don’t we?
Well, every time I get something marked sensitive and confidential I put on gloves and stuff it in the shredded.
Plausible deniability, you know!
So, of course I don’t remember any of them very well.
How about you? Other strategy?
😉
Thanks, as always for the laugh!
Ang: I usually enjoy your posts but you hit the wrong keys on your keyboard.
😦
It’s “plausible eraseribility” not “plausible deniability.” [go to: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/13/1201588/-A-new-internet-meme-for-Michelle-Rhee%5D
And that’s without even putting my gloves on! [And I am generously pardoning your “shredded” for “shredder.” So don’t say I was too hard on you when you know that adhering to standardized spelling counts for 47.5% of your VAManiacal teacher eval.]
If it weren’t for those accursed ironclad lifetime job entitlements you have at your job I would sure have a talk with the Vickster about your unacceptably poor spelling skills. How did you ever get into a classroom in the first place?
😦
Ah, who am I kidding? How can I resist the compassionate plea of that wonderful plaque Michelle keeps above her desk that reads “To err is to be like a teacher, to forgive is to be divine like Me.”
🙂
Krazy props 2 u.
🙂
BBSF [Best Bad Spellers Forever!]
With the super wealthy behind her she may still get away relatively unscathed.
It WORRIES me that I scanned the front page headlines of the huffington post and the only education-related news was about a bad teacher who was put on leave for an inappropriate assignment. Perfect place to at least link to other Ed-related articles but NOT THERE. The only way to get to the Rhee article was to click on education page link. And this, the huffington post. She is way more central to their mission than Beverly Hall. And Arne defended Hall for a while before saying it was isolated and falling silent.
Will they let her fall? She is so very connected to the highest in power politically and financially.
from exchanges online I know that a lot of reporters were trying to get a copy of this memo. Kudoes to John not merely for getting it, but for sharing it and ensuring that it got a lot of attention. Of course, I’d like to take a like credit for helping focus attention on what John had put up on his blog 🙂
Hi Diane. I’m sorry to hijack this post, but I just wanted to make you aware of a movement happening on Long Island, NY. The NYS ELA standardized tests are are set to begin this Tuesday, and there are many parents who are choosing to opt their children out of the tests. NYSED is trying to bully the schools into bullying the parents by saying that schools will lose funding if more than 5% op out. Some districts are playing along with the state, but many are cooperating with parents and making accommodations for children who will not take the test. One district even issued a resolution condemning the tests. Isn’t that great?
It would be great if you and your readers would support us. We are on Facebook at “Long Island Opt-out Info.” https://www.facebook.com/groups/141680156005331/
Meanwhile the children of presidents and members of Congress are jumping on the bandwagon of profitability.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/sidwell-friends-alumni-aim-to-open-public-charter-school-in-the-district/2013/04/13/1347bc84-a134-11e2-82bc-511538ae90a4_story.html
Denial,denial, denial, spin, spin, spin is all she can do as that is what you do when you are guilty. Especially, watch her body language when she denies. I have so much fun with that at LAUSD. There is nothing like watching them squirm and run from the room when you lay down the documented facts like Deasy’s phony PHD and his and the general counsel’s lawbreaking.
Please read this, just out from WaPo:
“Catania does not plan to call for full-scale re-investigation of 2008 cheating allegations”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/catania-no-plans-to-investigate-rhee-era-cheating-allegations/2013/04/14/71393e36-a52a-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html
It’s not a good sign that much will be resulting from the DC City Council hearings.
What is plan B? Can’t just let this drop. ACLU? Common Cause? It might take lawsuits for truth and justice to prevail.
Sadly, those in powering DC schools don’t seem inclined to reopen the investigation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/catania-no-plans-to-investigate-rhee-era-cheating-allegations/2013/04/14/71393e36-a52a-11e2-a8e2-5b98cb59187f_story.html
…those in power…sorry
Reading through the memo, I am repulsed by how thoroughly out of touch it is with the real human students who are these people’s responsibility. It’s all about juking stats. Yuck.