Michelle Rhee's resignation is big news, and Checker and Mike shared their thoughts with major news outlets. Below are some of their quotes on the matter.
Checker in Bloomberg News:
Chester Finn, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a Washington education research organization, said he favored Rhee's goals and approach. Her short-lived tenure is typical of those who push change in a disruptive way, Finn said.
?It's a cautionary tale that you don't always win these battles, that there will be setbacks and there will be costs in making changes that will better serve kids,? Finn said in a telephone interview.
Checker in Newsweek:
?In New Orleans it took a hurricane to change the schools, and in D.C. it took Michelle Rhee,? says Checker Finn, the president of the nonprofit Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a school-reform think tank. ?You can't do disruptive reform without being disruptive. The kinds of changes she made were fundamental: closing schools and firing people and changing the ground rules under which people are employed. You can't get those things done by acting like a cream puff. She made a lot more headway because of her style than she would have without it.?
Mike in the Wall Street Journal:
Mike Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a nonprofit group that advocates for tougher education standards, called Ms. Rhee's departure a ?sobering moment? in the education wars.
?The American public expresses support for the idea of education reform, but when it comes down to the tough decisions, like firing bad teachers or closing schools, they become more skittish,? he said. ?This sends a loud message to other would-be reformers that they have to keep up the fight.?
Mike in the Associated Press:
?Michelle Rhee did mostly what she was hired to do: shake up the system, be a bull in a china shop,? said Mike Petrilli, vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a nonprofit education think tank.
If there is any lesson in Rhee's departure for other school reformers, Petrilli said, it is that they need to pay attention to politics. Petrilli blamed Fenty for failing to sell education reform and said he and Rhee were wrong to think that just showing gains in student achievement would bring residents around.
?At the end of the day, school reform is not terribly popular,? Petrilli said. ?People will say they support accountability, but if they're gong to shut down your local school or fire your friend who is a teacher, suddenly reform doesn't sound so good.?
?Amy Fagan