DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee

The District of Columbia is “at the crux of a defining moment in public education,” declared Michelle Rhee. The outspoken DC public schools superintendent has been almost universally praised by education experts from around the country—while at the same time she has become a divisive figure among the members of the DC City Council. By championing strict standards of efficacy for her teachers and demanding data-driven results, Rhee has become somewhat of a pariah to the local teachers’ union, which can be very change-averse.



“When teachers refuse to be held accountable,” said Rhee, fear ends up hijacking the education process. That is unacceptable to Rhee, who has been tenacious in her effort to identify the city’s bad teachers and replace them. (“Who wants to argue with me about that?” Rhee asked the audience, dumbfounded by the blowback she has received on this point throughout the city.) Rhee’s instincts for data—from attendance to grades—has made her an avid proponent of the No Child Left Behind Act (or what one roundtable attendee called “the most damaged brand name in the nation”). “No Child Left Behind is one of the most powerful tools we have to drive effective education,” said Rhee, who also supports lengthening the school day.

Rhee ended the discussion with a call to make education about the kids—and no one else. “The Democratic Party has to break ties with the teachers’ union,” stated Rhee; she claimed that many of the teachers’ contacts hurt kids. Rhee is also interested in keeping politics out of the classroom at the city council level; she blames political infighting for burnout among urban superintendents: “Keeping politics out of education is the number one thing we can do across the country.”