Valerie Strauss wisely reviews the scathing report of the falsified graduation rates and wonders whether the reformers will pay attention to the crash of their favorite district.
Other observers, like G.F. Brandenburg, have called Rhee and her bag of tricks a hoax from the beginning, the beginning that is when she claimed to have raised the test scores of low performing students to dramatic heights in only two years as a new teacher. From a class scoring below the 13th percentile to one scoring above the 90th percentile. The media loved the story. If you believe it, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I linked to the article and read it. What amazes me most are the “comments”. So many defend Rhee, Henderson and now Wilson. Reformers everywhere are pulling out the pitchforks and torches on Valerie Strauss. The closer to the truth Valerie gets, the more awful the comments. Guess she really struck a nerve. Now the FBI is involved…maybe DCPS will have the swamp drained.
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Valerie gets some real nut jobs in the comment section, including one who used to post his BS about VAM on this site.
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Valerie often gets nasty letters. The truth hurts.
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Rather than hearing the message, many “reformers” try to attack the messenger.
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“she knew that most people (that includes most reporters and politicians) don’t understand mathematics or statistics well enough and are intimidated by anybody who spouts numbers.”
Paul Ryan parlayed that same tactic to become Speaker of the House. “A serious numbers guy ” who is clueless about the BS coming from his mouth.
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I read several articles on this failure and noted that many the stories talked about PRINCIPALS who were put on leave, none of them cited the former Superintendent, the person who, in the words of the Mayor, “failed to… put together the training and controls and accountability necessary to make that a successful rollout” AND someone the NYTimes editorial board recently touted as an ideal candidate to lead the NYC schools. Here’s their recommendation:
Among the candidates without roots in New York that Mr. de Blasio should consider is Kaya Henderson, who garnered a national reputation for leadership in the once beleaguered district of Washington, D.C., before stepping down in 2016. Over her six years at the helm, she strengthened academic offerings, created more confidence in the city schools, and engineered a personnel evaluation system that rewards highly competent teachers and steers the lowest performers out the door. An independent 2016 study found that this system had a significant impact on student learning.
While Ms. Henderson was reprimanded by a city ethics board after leaving office for giving preferential treatment to powerful people who wanted to place children in preferred schools and was censured for seeking donations for a nonprofit that supports public education, she did an outstanding job in the district.
BTW, I was glad to see you called out the NYTimes editorial board in an earlier post. Their nominees for chancellor were appalling! https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/14/opinion/some-bright-hopes-for-new-yorks-schools.html?ribbon-ad-idx=5&rref=opinion&module=Ribbon&version=origin®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&pgtype=article
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Thanks for a concrete reminder of why the editorials of the New York Times on education are so appallingly bad. It was their list of nominees for NYC chancellor that was the last straw. All of them failed retreads from reform districts.
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You mean Rheetreads?
Rhee is the key that unlocks the door to a secret Rheegionalism and Rheeality.
We can all thank KrazyTA for this important discoveRhee.
Otherwise, we would not have such an rheeplete rheecognition of Rheeform.
It is rheeally a verhee valuable rheesource.
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Have you seen this article? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/business/businesses-washington-public-policy.html?mabReward=CTS2&recid=102pGaCI6dXcBekv8wqzI9j9hZ2&recp=2&mi_u=26825267
Before you read the second paragraph get a cup of tea to calm your nerves. The notion that a “a smooth privatized toll road or a gleaming charter school” is an example of business solving a tough social issue is completely preposterous… for both of these “solutions” leave those who are poor without opportunities for success. And for Apple CEO Timothy Cook— who has avoided paying taxes— to claim that “Government has “become less functional and isn’t working at the speed that it once was” is maddening. I am sure, though, that the NYTimes editors will see this as an example of responsible corporate leadership.
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Yes, Tim Cook refused to bring back the $250 billion that Apple was holding in offshore accounts until the tax rate on it was reduced from 35% down to just 15%.
This from the CEO that makes all it’s products in China with overworked, underpaid labor and takes advantage of the fact that there are no worker protections and no environmental laws to reign in Apple’s contractors.
Cook is a real piece of work.
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