Michelle Rhee, who had become the face of U.S. education reform, has just resigned from her position as the chancellor of D.C. Public Schools.
Rhee has been the chancellor for the past three years, and although she has been lauded for raising test scores and improving one of the worst public school systems in America, she has also raised ire for instituting a new merit-based teaching contract which enabled her to fire hundreds of teachers.
But although Rhee closed more than two dozen schools, she also expanded the number of spaces in pre-school and launched several programs benefiting children with learning disabilities and at-risk students.
Rhee’s resignation has been linked to former Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s failure to get re-elected; Rhee told the Washington Post, “Yesterday’s election results were devastating, devastating. Not for me, because I’ll be fine, and not even for Fenty, because he’ll be fine, but devastating for the schoolchildren of Washington, D.C.”
Rhee will most likely be replaced by Kaya Henderson, who has already been appointed interim chancellor.
According to the Washington Post, both Henderson and Presumptive mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray have vowed to continue the reforms launched by Rhee.
To learn more about Rhee and her works, check out the documentary, “Waiting for Superman,” which delves into the failings of the American school system.
