Reply to Chancellor Henderson's Future

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't get why everyone assumes she's driven strictly by $$, prestige and/or influence.  Probably some combination of the three come into play, but unless you know her personally you don't really know what motivates her.  Maybe she just likes being DC Chancellor.  Rhee might have stayed had her incoming boss not run on a platform of replacing her.  I also believe Rhee may have stayed in the DC spotlight a la "Our Town" if not for her husband's political career.[/quote]

I do know her and she is not really driven by money.  She is really committed to DC.  I know she does her best and this is not an easy district given the high income and very low income students.  Just dealing with parents is a huge headache before you even get to running the schools.[/quote]

Personally, if someone thinks "dealing with parents is a huge headache" then he or she should not be running a school district. They are your customers, and should be your allies in education. The attitude that parents are a nuisance shows.
[/quote]

I don't think PP was implying that she thinks dealing with parents is a nuisance. I think PP was implying that when you have disjointed voices coming at you from all directions, and in this case I am guessing most of the voices are privileged in a district where the real severe needs are otherwise, it's a delicate an difficult balance. And that listening part doesn't even get into the meat of her job, which is to churn out actual results. [/quote]

Thank you PP.  That's exactly what I was suggesting.[/quote]

So it is only parents she perceives to be privileged that she perceives as a nuisance? That is exactly what many parents in the system (or on the verge of leaving the system) believe. Too many voices are presumed to be privileged and are immediately ignored as irrevelant and annoying by DCPS. Yet those voices often speak to issues that could help the system as a whole. Sometimes the assumptions of privilege are totally wrong. Bottom line is that there are difficult parents in all parts of the city and kids with needs all over the city. Public policy leaders are expected to deal with the "disjointed voices coming at you from all directions," treat all with respect, and serve all those they are supposed to serve with no excuses. It is what the Chancellor demands of her principals and teachers. It is fair to expect it of her.[/quote]

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