Michelle Rhee, the celebrity, goes national

[proud2BlibKansan]

Hey Michelle, we're having a coat drive at my school. Care to make a donation?

Michelle Rhee is going national.

Running the D.C. schools didn't give the superstar a big enough platform. So, with the U.S. education secretary's job already filled, she's on to her next act, heading a new organization, created around her, that has as its aim nothing short of transforming public education in America.

Just to make sure nobody missed the launch of Students First, at StudentsFirst.org, Rhee arranged to have it announced by - who else? - Oprah Winfrey, who this year anointed Rhee "a warrior woman." And in what is surely a journalistic coincidence, there was a cover story in Newsweek magazine on Rhee, written by - who else? - Rhee.

When you go to the Students First Web site, the first large image you see is not of Rhee with students, who are supposed to be first, but of Rhee with Oprah, celebrity to celebrity.

What Rhee wants to do is raise $1 billion - yes, BILLION- to lobby for the reforms she started in the District. Considering all of the billionaire philanthropists who love her business-driven style of reform, she could probably raise that with a few phone calls.

more . . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/12/AR2010121203571.html

[blondeatlast]

1. Michelle Rhee may well be the most dangerous person in America.

If she gets her way one of the most cherished institutions in the US will be quietly euthanized--but not if I can help it.

Get your own talk show, Ms. Rhee--and stop messing with education.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. I just love this picture

[Cal33]

3. Let's really think about the educational standards. Obama

would like 90% of our youngsters to be highschool grads!

We must also consider the fact that the national IQ averages out to be
100. That means that half of our people have IQs below 100, and half
above. If we want 90% to be HS grads, we'd have to lower our standards,
wouldn't we?

I understandard that IQ alone isn't everything. The quality of teachers,
the attitude of parents about learning, children's emotional and existing
interpersonal relationship difficulties (if any)...etc... all play a role.

In Europe most of the population are not hs graduates. They don't
hesitate to weed out those who are not academically inclined. On the
other hand, they have excellent trade schools. And those who have
gone to trade schools do make a good living. It's not a shame to not
be a HS grad there. But the standards of HS in Europe are considerably
higher than ours.

On a recent International Testing of 15-year-olds involving 65 countries
(conducted by the U.S. and European nations), the U.S. ranked 32nd.
Surprisingly enough, it's the Asian countries that took the top
positions. They have caught up. The only European nation among the top
6 was Finland.

Rhee may be doing many things wrong, but she is trying her best. Let's
see how she will work out. Let's give her some time. We may
not like the idea, but we do have a long, long way to go to catch up.
At least Rhee is trying to do something about our nation's standards
of education.

[Blue_Tires]

4. clearly she's more into the celebrity and cash then actual education...