Do you think Rhee would stay under Gray?

[Anonymous]

I'd like to know your background. So called yuppies who can afford it are still going private or live in the suburbs. Middle class families are staying in the District with more prek options. This is also being mandated by the fed government not just Rhee and Fenty. Gray wants even more free prek, gasp! It makes good policy and it's good for all types of families. What's wrong with you? Would you prefer working families pay thousands in childcare that they can not afford or their kids fall further behind? Please do your homework.

Anonymous wrote:Provide free childcare to yuppies in order to increase overall enrollment. Brilliant!

[Anonymous]

Yuppies don't live in the suburbs, the "u" stands for urban.

[Anonymous]

I'm also curious, like one of the PP, what the Grey supporters think he is going to do for education if he's elected. Has he stated a strategy or plan? Not trying to be snarky or start anything ... I just haven't seen anything from the Grey camp or his supporters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh. This is easy to predict. The same people who are bashing Fenty are the very same ones who'll be bashing Gray if (heaven help us) he gets in.

These people are always going to blame it on the other guy. I look around me and I see new buildings (including a beautiful new library in NE and lots of improvements for the underserved in this city) improved recreational facilities, bike paths, a green initiative, less crime, better test scores and a better quality of life under Fenty.

Maybe you've got more options than most in this city that is, by the way, comprised of neighborhoods reaching way past NW's privileged enclave. You have the freedom to sit at your desk and despise Rhee (who in my opinion is brilliant and doiing an incredibly difficult job with integrity and focus) precisely because your schools aren't sinking and desperately in need of a lifeboat (or heat for that matter). Ask the folks who can't afford a computer or who work at jobs where they don't have access to a computer so they can chime in themselves! What do they think of the prospect of schools continuing down this path and striving for more? Or would they rather a wrench be thrown in the wheel?

The equation is simple. Kids pass tests + gain proficiency in math and reading = more employable population and less enrollees in "Future Criminals of America" (not to mention what this does for the morale of the entire city and not just

I hope they both get to stay. Big changes happen slowly. You folks are mad if you don't see this. Those who are jumping on the anti-Fenty bandwagon come off as having the same mentality of a crash dieter; one that lacks patience and sets itself up disappointment every time. It took us a long time to get into this mess and it will take more than one term to untangle it. Of course there are kinks. Of course neither is perfect. At least we are headed in the right direction.

Your aspirations for what our school system could be are rather low. All you want is higher test scores. In that case, Rhee and Fenty are perfect for you.

Some of us have higher aspirations for our school system.

I would like to see schools that offer a stellar curriculum, one that offers both world and US history and geography starting in kindergarten.

I would like to see emphasis on good literature, not just basal anthologies. A strong writing program would be nice. I would like to see Latin offered at the middle and high school level.

I would like to see teachers that are not just certified to teach, but actually educated people, intellectuals, because there's a decidedly anti-intellectual bent to many of our teachers.

I would like to see schools that have some stability, where good teachers and administrators are not in constant fear of RIFs, school closings, and restructuring.

I would like see a school calendar that isn't dominated by testing. I would like to see students taking advantage of the incredible cultural offerings in this city, as part of integrated humanities units that include geography, history, literature, art, and music. I would like to see strong, hands-on science programs in every school. I would like a school system where no teacher feels obligated to engage in test-prep.

I would like to see an excellent vocational program that is available to students who want to be able to train for a career rather than prepare for college. I would like to have a school system that values all careers and work that is honorable.

I would like to have a school system that has the goal of offering high-quality educational opportunities to all students, regardless of their ability, background, SES, or address. I would like to see schools that are evaluated based on the quality of educational opportunities that they offer rather than on test scores of dubious validity and reliability.

In short, I would like to have a school system that offers educational opportunities to all students that are comparable or superior in quality to those that were available to my child in his private school.

[Anonymous]

As an AA...I like Rhee and I have been told I have a good banter with her. She has nothing to lose and with the recent contractual signing with the teachers...she "might" have a good two years remaining. I do believe when she does move on...it will be a Oooo-darn moment because it is her management style that many people want to duplicate.

We all have to remember she was one of Janey's strongest critics in regards to the way he managed the school system. When her company employees were falling through cracks of DCPS's bureaucratic mess, it was Rhee who sent a scathing letter to the Council, School Board, State Superintendent and the Mayor about "if" she ran DCPS she would implement her ten step process for improvemetn. Hence, when she cc'd many others on the letter and those were the heavy-hitters who supported Fenty...then the inevitable happened.

Prediction...she will get married in September become pregnant and will relocate by the end of the next school year. It will be the best for political climate...no one will want to "fire" a pregnant woman, therefore it will be a well-orchestrated plan.

It is not if Rhee stays...it is who will Gray replace Rhee with....? I have a short list of "they would be excellent choices...and a longer list of "absolutely nots."

Honestly...I have been to some recent meetings with her at some of the local high-schools and they treat her like a "Rock-Star" and I have been affiliated with DCPS for over 25 years. I have never seen the masses oogle Janey, Vance, Ackerman, Dukes-McKenzie, Smith and whomso-ever else like they do Rhee.

As for Gray...he is more Barry-like than one is lead to believe. Many equate Fenty to being Barry-like in regards to croynism...but that is such a small distraction compared to what Gray duplicates as in regards to Barry idealogy. I will support hand-shaking Fenty...before I can support hand-dancing Gray.

[Anonymous]

I would rather have educator running our schools than a rock star.

[Anonymous]

Glad to see all the Anthony Williams support on this forum! Wish he would come back too - maybe a write-in campaign is in order! He is definitely the one to credit for many of DC's recent upswings.

Also, who still uses the the term "yuppies"? I believe it died in 1991 : http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972695,00.html

[Anonymous]

Gray has had several meetings with Janey. He would be a great Rhee replacement. Rhee is in way over her head and her lack of experience becomes more apparent every day.

[Anonymous]

So now we're just cave dwellers?

I can understand how Fenty would make you feel nostalgic about Tony.

But Tony had his limitations. His only solution to lousy schools was charter schools. He also had something of a tin ear regarding politics. Remember his plans to move UDC and Ellington to Southeast?

[Anonymous]

I certainly don't think Fenty is perfect--Nickles and the cronyism particularly bug me--but I think Gray would not be a good mayor. It sounds like Gray has been a good council chairman and has a talent for building consensus, but I think that quality would actually be bad in a mayor--this city needs an executive who can make tough decisions and is not afraid to piss people off. I also generally approve of Rhee and hope that she'll be around for at least a few more years.

[Anonymous]

DC-BAS-P, Test prep, DIEBELS, TRC,
DC-BAS-A, Test prep, DIEBELS, TRC,
DC-BAS-B, Test prep, DIEBELS, TRC,
DC-BAS-C, Test prep, DIEBELS, TRC,
DC-CAS, DIEBELS, TRC

What a sad prospect for our kids.

[Anonymous]

More seriously, I remember the Barry years and I don't understand why Fenty is being given credit for the turnaround that Anthony Williams orchestrated. From my point of view, Fenty's cronyism is a return to the bad old days, and is the chief reason I want him out.

The one thing the Fenty administration has given me has been some lovely playgrounds--which I now know the city had built via no-bid contracts that were padded with goodies for Fenty's friends.

NP here, married to a DC native. could not agree more that Tony Williams, propelled by a booming economy with a sprinkle of Abe Pollin on top, created much of the goodness we see today in D.C. I think anyone attributing the bells and whistles to Fenty, not Williams, just lacks perspective and history. Which is not fatal.

What <does> suck out loud is how slimy and slick Fenty is in funneling (basically) cash gifts to his fraternity brothers. C'mon, that's gross.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Now she closes entire schools down with nary a picket sign anywhere, or picks 13 "catalyst" schools that get millions in extra funds and nobody protests over why their school didn't get picked or why their school did get picked. Janey in comparison was a thoughtful, considerate person who lost all the time because he chose moderate, considered positions. It wasn't enough to rock the establishment.

Be careful of reading too much into Rhee Reform. Fine to give credit where it's due, but there's a lot of spin and a lot less oversight than one might imagine. Take Catalyst. It is a privately funded experimental project in branding neighborhood elementary schools with the appeal (if not the output) of specialized magnet or charter schools. It is not a full-blown program with long-term support. The private grant is $3 million total, not per school, as seed capital. The 13 schools "selected" were simply the ones that bothered to apply. It was not a competition. (Which partly explains why Eaton and Payne would be so-called World Cultures schools but not Oyster or Thomson.) Experiment and innovation is important, but more transparency and less hype would be welcome.

I totally applaud the principals with the initiative to apply for a staffing and PD grant pretty much sight unseen. But I think it crosses the line to push Catalyst and STEM so heavily in the Race to The Top application. Sometimes it feels like some of Rhee's original ideas are a bit more throw it against the wall and see what sticks than data-driven solutions.

I'm not at all anti-Rhee or pro status quo, but I wish there was a little more clarity on what's actually going on at central office. (Still no CAO, all kinds of consultants, hiring via 10 minute interviews, private money coming, private funders pissed off, etc.) Whatever happened to the Ombudsman idea?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not if Rhee stays...it is who will Gray replace Rhee with....? I have a short list of "they would be excellent choices...and a longer list of "absolutely nots."

Please share!!! I've been asking people on both sides of the Rhee camp and never hear anything. Kaya Henderson? Someone from Delaware? Come on, spill it!

Personally I thought Rhee's strongest qualification was her experience with being a vendor to DCPS with New Teacher Project. She knew exactly what kind of mess she was getting into. In theory that would have been used to boost her credibility.

(Janey wasn't oggled? )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ITA

You new arrivals don't know how bad it could get. We've been there, seen it, lived through it. You won't want to go back to those bad old days. So what if Fenty doesn't do the Electric Slide with you?

Classic.