In a dramatic move, Washington DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced this morning that he has chosen to fire DC School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey and replace him with Michelle A. Rhee, the founder of a teacher-training organization: Fenty To Oust Janey Today.
Rhee operates the New Teacher Project, a New York-based nonprofit group that recruits and trains teachers to serve in urban districts. According to the story, she is apparently well-known in education circles but could be a tough sell with school employees, parents and DC Council members, who must confirm the appointment. She doesn't have superintendent experience, and has spent just three years working within a school system, as an elementary school teacher in the mid-1990s. And oh yeah, she's Asian American.
If confirmed, Rhee would be the system's first non-black chief in nearly forty years. I'm sure there will be some who will take issue with this. This editorial points it out as a fact that will likely "disappoint some": The New Chancellor. Needless to say, she's got a hell of a challenge ahead of her...
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