In this era of duplicity and double-talk, we may never learn the real reason, but one thing is sure: Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst is closing down in Minnesota. It is laying off its single employee. It claims 29,000 members in the state, but it is impossible to verify that number since people often sign deceptive petitions on websites that ask if they support great teachers.
“Earlier this week, StudentsFirst confirmed that it is scaling back operations in Florida to focus on political battles elsewhere. In coming days, it is expected to announce that it’s eliminating staff members in other states — a move a national group spokesman said Wednesday he could not confirm.
“Obviously we can’t predict the future, but we will continue to support our reform partners,” said spokesman Ross McMullin.
“Denise Specht, president of Education Minnesota, said she’s not surprised StudentsFirst is scaling back.
“National education franchises like StudentsFirst struggle to find an audience in Minnesota because they sell policies developed far away by people who don’t know our schools,” she said. “So they push ideas that appeal to wealthy donors around the country, but don’t quite fit in Minnesota, which has some of the best schools and students in the nation.”
Florida is owned lock, stock, and barrel by the privatizers, so perhaps StudentsFirst is superfluous there. If they are cutting staff elsewhere, that’s good news. Maybe Rhee is yesterday’s news.
Yesterday’s trash is more like it. Good riddance to the Rheeject.
@Linda.. Rheefuse is much “classier” than the word “trash”…
Trash?
Great word!
Now into the compactor she goes.
SQUOOSH . . . . . . . . .
Good news!
They pulled out of Florida a couple days ago.
http://www.redefinedonline.org/2014/07/studentsfirst-winding-florida-operation/
Chris, maybe StudentsFirst feels they have so totally gutted support for public schools in Florida and given control of legislature to Jeb’s pals that they need to find greener pastures.
please don’t let her come to North Carolina.
I don’t think she would go over well here, though. I think the jig is up and she’s winding down.
Joanna, you have Art Pope. Why would you need Rhee?
Reformers are basically money grubbing parasites, and the truth is slowly getting out.
I urge viewers of this blog to read the linked article.
A number of phrases leapt out.
For example, note how StudentsFirst is described as a one of the “[n]ational education franchises” that “sell policies developed far away by people who don’t know our schools” and “push ideas that appeal to wealthy donors around the country.”
Oh my…
😉
A state-director who is the only employee of StudentsFirst in the entire state of Minnesota. Grassroots, baby! **Grassroots is spelled a-s-t-r-o-t-u-r-f in Rheephormish, right, Bob Shepherd?**
😏
And they are pulling out because their work in improving the classroom is over? No, er, rather it’s because of the “continually changing legislative climate” and “focus on political battles elsewhere.” AdultsFirst, yesterday, today, and forever!
😜
And an instant classic near the end: “Saltzman said she’s liked working with Rhee because of her common-sense approach to education reform.” And common sense wholeheartedly embraces great minds like Michelle Rhee that sternly admonish critics of standardized testing— ya’see, those tests only take up a teensy weensy amount of classroom time. More specifically, 1.7%, a data point that is as solid (or squishy) as her infamous assertion that she took her students from the 13th to the 90th percentile when she dabbled in teaching.
No doubt about it, she read that in a study by Teach Plus! Or rather, she didn’t read it because reading is so, you know, 20th century, and the actual report says something quite different…
Link: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2014/04/why-is-michelle-rhee-wrong-about.html
😡
Michelle Rhee and StudentsFirst, I wish they were simply the gift that keeps giving but it’s more like an unfortunately bad cross between the NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and the NEVER-ENDING STORY—
“I reject that mind-set.” [Michelle Rhee]
How did I know she would say that?
😎
Ding dong the…
The lead shills for the hostile corporate takeover are getting down sized? Priceless! Until I see what they do next, my guard remains up. They still have money and influence and could just be reinventing themselves into a new disease that will continue to infect our schools and our nation. I do hope they are just imploding as they so richly deserve, and that Rhee-volting goes down with the ship. Now would be a good time to appeal to the downsized former employees to become whistle blowers, even if anonymously.
I stood up against a group who came to Tallahassee to pitch their propaganda. Diane, as a Floridian and a teacher of the profoundly handicapped, I am so saddened to hear that Florida has sold out. When I read what outsiders think of us in Fl, I cringe. We have so many fabulous teachers in Fl who are hurting. Many are fighting too! However, so many are too frightened to speak up and are retiring in droves. Many parapros, over 20 at our center school were laid off so the county will have money for the bottom 300 schools to stay open an hour longer. Teacher units were cut too! We at center schools seem to be the least of anyone’s concerns. It is depressing!
Students First is working to drum up business in Alabama with some help from our previous governor and other AL lawmakers, politicians and judges who would like to see public education in Alabama disappear. To read the story, click on the story titled Riley, Hubbard and Students First for Buttram after you click on this link. http://www.alreporter.com
We were one of the states that Rhee visited at the beginning of last school year; she came to Birmingham.
She reared her ugly head in the Buffalo Board of Education race to support Larry Quinn. Wouldn’t be surprised to see her shift resources to Buffalo. Much low-hanging fruit there.
I would love to see Her Majesty Rhee totally disappear and never hear about/read about her again. Ever. Her, and Her Koppness, Wendy. I cannot stand either one of them, and when their lips are moving all that comes out of their lying mouths is arrogant rhetoric. Both of their non-profits have billion dollar bank accounts, and each is earning upwards of $400,000 annually. Good riddance to Students First and its lying leader. She should go crawl under a rock and stay there with her disgusting husband.
Love it! “Her Koppness,” made me chuckle. Thank you Donna!
She has turned her attention to Georgia, where she thinks she can get Alisha Thomas Morgan elected to state school superintendent. Please, please, for the sake of kids in my state contribute to NPE’s endorsed candidate Valarie Wilson: http://valforeducation.com/
Wow, I thought Minnesota was one of the rephormiest states in the union.
Paging Joe Nathan.
Rhee’s efforts did not go over very well in Minnesota:
http://hometownsource.com/2013/01/09/improvements-needed-but-minnesota-school-reform-efforts-dont-deserve-a-d/
i. I wanted to let you know a big reason StudentFirst pulled out of MN. Our MFT (Minneapolis Federation of Teachers) union has been working hard for years collaborating with parents and members of community with great success! We reached the point that we were able to call up community members whenever StudentFirst hosted an event and they would attend and disrupt the meeting, pointing out the lies and false information StudentFirst was spinning! It got to the point that their organizer to quit and come to out side! Organizing with the community works.