Michelle Rhee

“According to a 2011 report prepared by the Center for American Progress and the Education Trust, “Students who have three or four strong teachers in a row will soar academically regardless of their racial or economic background while those who have a sequence of weak teachers will fall further behind. . . .” Many argue back, “But that’s a measure of in-school factors. Compared to the factors outside the school, teachers don’t play as large a role.” I would ask, “What is our job as educators?” I would argue that we, as educators, cannot be focused on the external factors. There are social service agencies and programs that exist to help families deal with problems beyond the schoolhouse. Educators should, while acknowledging those circumstances, focus relentlessly on what can happen when we have the children in the classroom.”
― Michelle Rhee, Radical: Fighting to Put Students First

“We don’t want to tell great teachers they’re great and ineffective teachers that they’re not, so we essentially tell all of them that they’re doing well. In rating teachers nationwide, fewer than 1 percent are given an unsatisfactory rating on their performance evaluation. The unfortunate result is that we don’t celebrate greatness, because we’re not differentiating at all.”
― Michelle Rhee, Radical: Fighting to Put Students First