"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Rhee: "Cooperation, collaboration and consensus-building are way overrated."

From Bill Turque at WaPo:

. . . .In Rhee, Fenty, 38, has chosen a philosophical soul mate with his passion for public policy based more in metrics and outcomes than consultation with stakeholders, critics say. Rhee told an Aspen Institute audience last year that one of the lessons she'd learned in Washington was that "cooperation, collaboration and consensus-building are way overrated."

Other high-profile mayoral takeovers have involved seasoned urban politicians whose initial leadership choices were more conventional. Chicago's Richard M. Daley named his budget director, Paul Vallas. In Boston, a committee appointed by Mayor Thomas Menino selected Thomas Payzant, head of the San Diego school system.

The tumult in the District reflects the pace -- detractors say recklessness -- with which Rhee has moved since coming from the education nonprofit group she founded after three years as a Baltimore teacher. In 28 months, she has upended almost every sector of public school operations, from school closures to classroom instruction to teacher evaluations to labor relations. . . .


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