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'Radical' education reformer Michelle Rhee gives Oklahoma D+
Published: 2/5/2013 2:30 PM
Last Modified: 2/5/2013 2:35 PM

A former chancellor of schools in Washington, D.C., Michelle Rhee started StudentsFirst in 2010.

It's always hard to know what to make of ratings like this, considering all the complex realities that have to be distilled down to a simple letter grade.

In her nationwide report cards, education advocate Michelle Rhee has been accused of grading schools not by how well they perform, but how well they line up with her own ideas about reform.

Washington, D.C., where Rhee first rose to national prominence as a reformist school chancellor, scored a relatively high C-plus, while nearby Maryland and Virgina -- often at or near the top of education rankings -- got a D-plus and D-minus.

So what you think about her report cards will depend on what you think about Rhee, who promotes school choice and teacher accountability.

Either way, it's obviously not a compliment for Oklahoma to get a D-plus. But of course, Rhee isn't handing out compliments to anybody.

Nine out of 10 states got a C or below. Eleven received Fs. And nobody scored better than a B-minus.

Meanwhile, Rhee's new book, "Radical: Fighting to Put Students First," will hit store shelves Tuesday.

Written by
Michael Overall
Staff Writer

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TulsaDon (last week)

Another conservative lackey that knows little of which she speaks. You can't shame school improvement to get people motivated to improve you actually have to provide a vision and then get buy-in from those in the trenches to get it accomplished. Unless Baressi or Rhee could clone themselves and be in every classroom in states where they work they won't get fidelity with their "vision" simply by bashing those working in schools. Besides, this is more about who gets their hands on tax dollars for private gain than it is about school improvement. Just ask Jeb Bush and ALEC and those corporations that came up with this poppycock! If you follow the money you will see it is right behind and in the pocket of both Baressi and Rhee funded by those who stand to gain the most financially by providing that money to those who do their bidding either overtly in rule making and law proposition or indirectly by criticizing publicly the entities they wish to extract money from!

RBM (last week)

TRIPE....anyone who tries to judge anything anywhere with a grading system that is 'devised' in their head spews out only whatever that 'moment in time' captured. If you 'drop the names' of whatever you're judging the next 'moment in time' will result in a completely different judgment. Unfortunately this applies to a multitude of groups both government and public that spews the same TRIPE again and again. And they all gratuitously ask for our acceptance.

Lucky Ed (last week)

She doesn't pull any punches...ouch that kinda hurts, doesn't it?

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Bill Sherman, grandfather of 12

He and his wife have six children and 12 grandchildren and he enjoys running around town on his dorky scooters and watching the Green Bay Packers. He moved to Tulsa in the 1980s to attend Bible school. Sherman is the Tulsa World’s religion writer.

Rod Walton, father of four

He and his wife Laura have been married since 1989. They have four children -- Rachel, 20; Rebecca, 18; Hayley, 15, and Will, 13. Walton is a business writer for the Tulsa World Business section and covers the energy industry.

Colleen Almeida Smith, mother of two

She and her husband have two daughters, ages 7 and 12. She loves reading and anything about food -- cooking it, eating it, and reading and writing about it. Almeida Smith is an assistant editor.

Michael Overall, father of a toddler

His 4-year-old son will introduce himself to people as “Gavin Jared Overall, My Daddy’s Buddy.” Gavin likes model trains, iPads and sleeping late, except on the weekends, when he likes to get up early. Overall is a general assignment reporter for the Tulsa World city desk.

Althea Peterson, mother of an infant

She recently returned to work at the Tulsa World after two months of maternity leave with her daughter. She followed her older brother from rural Wisconsin to the University of Oklahoma. Peterson is a staff writer who also contributes to the Weather World blog.

June Straight, mother of two

With seven years between their daughters, she and her husband split their time between dealing with dirty diapers from one kid and dirty looks from the other. Straight is a designer for the Tulsa World.

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