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madfloridian

(88,117 posts)
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 03:40 AM Jan 2013

Michelle Rhee just getting started on shaping California education policy

Source: Sacramento Bee

Rhee has hired three lobbying firms to represent StudentsFirst in the state Legislature. Her group helped kill an evaluation bill it said was too easy on teachers and shopped around a piece of legislation to change teacher layoff rules that was never introduced.

StudentsFirst also has begun political efforts to take on one of the most powerful forces in state politics: the California Teachers Association. Her group put $2 million into a California campaign committee ahead of the 2012 elections, and two of the three legislative candidates it supported were elected over candidates supported by CTA.

CTA President Dean Vogel said he doesn't feel threatened but is keeping an eye on Rhee as she rolls out her strategy.

"Any time you're gathering up huge amounts of money and hiring huge amounts of staff and moving a particular agenda, you're going to have an effect. What effect that will be is hard to say until it starts to unfold," Vogel said.



Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/27/5143422/michelle-rhee-just-getting-started.html



The money her group has given legislators is paying off as they introduce bills which she favors. Tennessee is moving quickly. That's where her ex-husband, Kevin Huffman, is in charge of schools.

TN 'parent trigger' bill would allow school takeovers


The "parent trigger" bill was filed Wednesday by Rep. John DeBerry, a Memphis Democrat and member of the House Education Committee. / AP / File

The bill was filed Wednesday by Rep. John DeBerry, a Memphis Democrat and member of the House Education Committee.

“It is, in my opinion, important legislation that will get the debate started,” DeBerry said Thursday. “One thing we can’t afford is we can’t continue to support the status quo.”


"Status Quo"...one of the favorite terms used by reformers to refer to public schools.

DeBerry was supported in his last election by Students First, the national education reform organization founded by Michelle Rhee, but said that support is not related to his bill. Rhee, the ex-wife of Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman, is known for pushing the reform ideals most often associated with Republicans, but recently said she is a lifelong Democrat.


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Michelle Rhee just getting started on shaping California education policy (Original Post) madfloridian Jan 2013 OP
I hope California teachers will nip this crap in the bud jsr Jan 2013 #1
Same here. n/t truedelphi Jan 2013 #6
Well, she can kiss that investment bye-bye... ReRe Jan 2013 #2
They already have--the Parent Trigger law was passed in CA in 2010. nt msanthrope Jan 2013 #15
Not a good state for her to push her agenda ellisonz Jan 2013 #3
The Parent Trigger law passed in 2010 makes it an excellent state for her msanthrope Jan 2013 #16
We need to expose this creep and then SoapBox Jan 2013 #4
Thank you for the heads up. emsimon33 Jan 2013 #5
Arne could speak out against her tactics...oops I forgot. madfloridian Jan 2013 #24
One of California's main challenges is that there is a major subset truedelphi Jan 2013 #7
No educator who actually works in a classroom gadjitfreek Jan 2013 #9
It's not educators who push the test scores...it's the politicians of both parties. madfloridian Jan 2013 #11
Yep-- lolly Jan 2013 #21
Educators have been saying this... YvonneCa Jan 2013 #19
Oh I agree. My choice of words was ill chosen. truedelphi Jan 2013 #23
I think your words... YvonneCa Jan 2013 #25
There are very few people in this world... gadjitfreek Jan 2013 #8
Living in the city where her husband pretends to be the mayor, I would include him in your hope. olddad56 Jan 2013 #14
... xchrom Jan 2013 #10
Didn't she tiredtoo Jan 2013 #12
^this^ reteachinwi Jan 2013 #13
The DOE OIG cleared her of any involvement...and the report was not kind to DC teachers. msanthrope Jan 2013 #17
"she got away with it" reteachinwi Jan 2013 #26
Sanford's company is called "Eduneering". That is so blatant in its corporateness. madfloridian Jan 2013 #27
Crippling education... awoke_in_2003 Jan 2013 #18
Yes. madfloridian Jan 2013 #22
So glad... YvonneCa Jan 2013 #20
Thank you. madfloridian Jan 2013 #28
I am happy about the tweets of this post. madfloridian Jan 2013 #29
And the first order of business is . . . markpkessinger Jan 2013 #30
Ha, good one. madfloridian Feb 2013 #31

ellisonz

(27,709 posts)
3. Not a good state for her to push her agenda
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 04:16 AM
Jan 2013

Californians know the problems their schools aren't because of teachers.

emsimon33

(3,128 posts)
5. Thank you for the heads up.
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 04:38 AM
Jan 2013

I am passing this on to people who have the power in California to put a stop to this.

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)
7. One of California's main challenges is that there is a major subset
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 05:05 AM
Jan 2013

Of kids in California's public school system that come from other countries.

They don't know English. In the case of many of the kids from South of the border, they are often not here long enough to learn English - just as they start to make some headway, the INS intervenes, or one or both parents decide that life in Los Angeles or wherever is too hectic and dangerous and they return to their native country.

There needs to be some special way to take this into account. Unfortunately with so many educators thinking that a person can tell everything from test scores, that way of evaluating things might be some years away.

madfloridian

(88,117 posts)
11. It's not educators who push the test scores...it's the politicians of both parties.
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 08:48 AM
Jan 2013

It's politics because of the huge money reformers give politicians.

lolly

(3,248 posts)
21. Yep--
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 02:45 PM
Jan 2013

And by "reformers" you mean privatizers.

Ultimately, the goal has nothing to do with students--first, second, or last.

It has to do with turning the taxpayer money that finances public education into profit for private companies who see kids as commodities.

truedelphi

(32,324 posts)
23. Oh I agree. My choice of words was ill chosen.
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 04:00 PM
Jan 2013

There are those in the field of education, like Arne Duncan, and then there are educators.

YvonneCa

(10,117 posts)
25. I think your words...
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 04:50 PM
Jan 2013

...are fine. And...I agree about Arne...


I come from a district with a huge ELL population. The data already exists...it's been collected for decades. Really. The question is, IMHO, how should it be used ...fairly...to help the students and, at the same time, not be used to punish their teachers?

gadjitfreek

(399 posts)
8. There are very few people in this world...
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 06:32 AM
Jan 2013

...who I hope would just drop dead of a brain embolism. Michelle Rhee is near the top of my list. She is the Osama Bin Laden of public education.

olddad56

(5,732 posts)
14. Living in the city where her husband pretends to be the mayor, I would include him in your hope.
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 09:31 AM
Jan 2013

That guy has only two items on his agenda. More power for himself and spending public funds on a basketball arena for a team that doesn't even want to be here.

tiredtoo

(2,949 posts)
12. Didn't she
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 09:00 AM
Jan 2013

get run out of town on a rail in D.C. After they found her accepting cheating on test scores and so on ? Why is she even a player in this field anymore ?

 

msanthrope

(37,549 posts)
17. The DOE OIG cleared her of any involvement...and the report was not kind to DC teachers.
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 11:11 AM
Jan 2013


http://blogs.sacbee.com/report-card/2013/01/new-investigation-puts-cheating-scandal-to-rest-rhee-says.html

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/09/5101508/federal-probe-found-no-test-score.html

The DC Inspector's report also cleared Rhee, and was not kind to D.C.'s teachers.

If Michelle Rhee was involved in cheating, she got away with it.

 

reteachinwi

(579 posts)
26. "she got away with it"
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 05:24 PM
Jan 2013

isn't a resume' builder.

But we know the Sanford memo is out there. What does it say? Three secondary sources have told us that Sanford was troubled by the widespread erasures. An anonymous letter was mailed to me on June 20, 2012, stating in part, “The memo indicated there was cause for concern with a significant number of school test results….(Sanford) did not draw conclusions, but we all know he suspected cheating was widespread.”
http://takingnote.learningmatters.tv/?p=6108

madfloridian

(88,117 posts)
27. Sanford's company is called "Eduneering". That is so blatant in its corporateness.
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 07:06 PM
Jan 2013

Just what we need education to be about.

"Sanford’s undated agreement says he will be paid $85 per hour for work performed at his offices in California (his company is called Eduneering) and $1500 per day for work performed at DCPS, plus reimbursement for travel, food and lodging."

madfloridian

(88,117 posts)
29. I am happy about the tweets of this post.
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 10:01 PM
Jan 2013

It means many people are reading it and caring that such a person has so much control over education.

I believe a Democratic leader needs to stand up and ask loudly who gave Rhee the right to do such harm.

markpkessinger

(8,381 posts)
30. And the first order of business is . . .
Mon Jan 28, 2013, 11:39 PM
Jan 2013

. . . making sure all California students as well as their parents know how to spell "snake oil": s-n-a-k-e o-i-l.

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