Radical

February 4, 2013
American children are guaranteed an education, but they are not guaranteed a good one. Rhee, founder of StudentsFirst and former chancellor of the Washington D.C. public schools, details drastic changes for how children should be educated, sparking a heated debate over what many consider aggressive reforms. Growing up in a family of teachers in a strict Korean household, Rhee shares the triumphs and tribulations of her childhood. Later, recognizing the struggles of American schools, Rhee uses her experiences initiating a movement to remake American public education to allow each child the opportunity to learn and achieve. Many of her ideas are contentious or counter common practices, and have created a range of responses from impassioned dissenters to rabid fans. Despite Rhee's speeches about the dire need for better teachers, many individuals and organizations were angry at her actions and often questioned her motives. Regardless, she stresses that it is time to change the way the schools are run, how teachers are selected and trained, and how this all relates to the needs of students. Anyone interested in the future of public education will find a valuable guide for gleaning ideas, getting inspired, or perhaps for even instituting these techniques in your own local school.

February 15, 2013
Progressive reformer or right-wing union buster? Rhee, public-schools chancellor in Washington, D.C., from 2007 to 2010, gives her version of the conflicts and controversies surrounding her career. A first-generation Korean American, she traces her journey from growing up in the Midwest, to her stint as a Teach for America novice in a Baltimore public school, to her founding of an alternative teacher-preparation program, the New Teacher Project, before emerging as a national figure. Compelled to step down after the mayor who championed her was defeated, Rhee founded StudentsFirst, a political lobbying organization aimed at changing education policy. Rhee calls herself an ardent pro-teacher Democrat whose vision for education reform includes high pay for excellent teachers, stringent evaluation based chiefly on student achievement, and elimination of tenure. Those seeking a nuanced analysis of public education's challenges and power agendas may be disappointed, though Rhee's readable narrative (replete with periodic petty asides) is a good primer for understanding current public debates and policy changes being enacted in statehouses across the country.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

February 1, 2013
An education-reform manifesto from Rhee, StudentsFirst founder and former chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools. The author's account of her rise as an educational policy advocate is as notable for what it lacks as for what it contains. The moments of inspiration are impressive, and it is easy to be incensed at the corruption and incompetence she describes. Rhee is at her most convincing when she relates problems with the D.C. school bureaucracy, which was so inefficient that its mismanagement kept a warehouse full of books, desks and school supplies from reaching students. At other moments, the sustainability of the reforms she champions seems more doubtful. The author lionizes teachers who spend their own time and money to help students. Though she notes that these are the kinds of teachers we need, she does not explain how that level of personal spending or uncompensated time is sustainable for older teachers with significant family obligations. While serving as chancellor, Rhee's teacher-evaluation system rewarded high performers with increased pay. However, the money that paid for the eye-popping merit amounts she was able to offer certain teachers (one teacher saw an increase of over $20,000) was raised externally. Though this is undeniably compelling, Rhee does not explain how this strategy would scale to school districts across the nation. She responds, briefly, to accusations that the rise in test scores under her tenure as chancellor were fueled by cheating on the part of teachers, who allegedly erased wrong answers and replaced them with correct ones. Her defense is unlikely to be convincing to many in light of the recent revival of the allegations. Rhetorically soaring but somewhat lacking in substance.

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