There's a chance that former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee might become Wake County's next schools superintendent.
George Conway, the team leader from Heidrick & Struggles, said today they've talked to more than 100 people so far and are reaching out to more people daily. One of the people they've contacted is Rhee.
Conway said Rhee isn't an applicant. But he said she hasn't turned down applying either.
Rhee has previously said that she wouldn't want to work in a school district controlled by an elected school board. But considering how working for an elected mayor didn't guarantee stability, who knows?
During tonight's superintendent search committee meeting, Conway said 26 people have emerged so far, mostly from the East Coast and mid-Atlantic states, as people ready to be interviewed. That group of 26 includes four internal candidates.
Conway had planned to present the names of four people for review tonight but the committee held off, saying it needed to finalize how they'd conduct the search.
“The four I’m talking about this evening are superbly qualified,” Conway said. “They’re not on the margins of anything. At least three of the four you’d feel fortunate to bring to this wonderful county. We’re excited by the caliber of candidates and we could find more.”
Conway said another 12 people are considering whether to apply.
The committee agreed to have Heidrick & Struggles vet the applicants and pick five to 10 for them to review. The committee will then present three to five people for the full board to consider.
The committee also agreed to keep the names of all applicants confidential. The only name they'll reveal is the person who is hired.
The full board will vote on the process Tuesday.
Comments
No need for the committee to screen candidates for the BOE
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 13:06 — Athey01Whoever the consultant selects should be brought to the entire BOE. The committee should established the criteria and the interviewing process, then their job is done. The BOE member will rate and narrow the field, then vote on the next supt.
If the committee eliminates candidates, I'm sure there will be second-guessing as to why those candidates were eliminated. Let's eliminate any unnecessary drama and allow the entire BOE evaluate and select the next supt.
Did anybody else find this
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 11:38 — jenmanDid anybody else find this statement interesting?
Conway was being very
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 12:21 — KeungHui (author)Conway was being very cryptic. The only reason he mentioned Rhee was that she wasn't an official applicant. Two of the internal applicants applied on their own. A third person was nominated by someone else. The fouth person is someone Heidrick sought out and encouraged to apply.
sleeping on the job?
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 04:39 — red_balloonWhy is it that the Committee hasn't yet defined the search process? Was Heidrick & Struggles working without the process having been fully defined?
...
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 15:01 — SideburnsI thought the same thing, red. What is the process? Goldman chairs this committee. Maybe she's been spending too much time fretting over Tedesco's committee to work on her own.
Keung,
Was the process defined? And, if not, what are they waiting for?
I pretty much gave the
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 15:26 — KeungHui (author)I pretty much gave the highlights in the post. Heidrick will give five to 10 names and then the committee will whittle it down to three to five for the full board. There are a bunch of other procedural details. The full board will go over the process Tuesday.
Double Your Salary
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 01:06 — jeffrey1Apparently she wants to move closer to her husband, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. Too bad.
Found this little tidbit. Teachers, what do you think?
In "Waiting For Superman," Rhee attempts to break apart the notion of tenure with a new proposal that would allow DC teachers to choose to give up their tenure in exchange for double their salary—up to $140,000. At the time, the union refused to put it to a vote.
Actually fiancee
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 09:47 — sachivalayhttp://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-news-dcschools1012,0,6749279.story
Google 'Kevin johnson rhee' and you will see a lot happened last year and that could be a reason she is running away from DC. I don't think we need her baggage.
How Much
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 22:33 — HereWeGoHow much was she making in DC?
she is what we need
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 22:14 — snordonemy only falling off point with her is that our teachers deserve the opportunity for professional development before they are told they are ineffective. The problem is the lack of central office support & lack of emphasis on professional development (in Wake, schools have to use their own money for professional development and pay for subs while the teachers are out). In schools that don't have strong leaders nothing gets done and academic performance shows it. Our strongest schools (based on their data, not parent perception) have proactive, effective principals (WFRMS, WMMS, Brentwood ES, Jeffrey's grove ES) and in turn, a critical mass of effective teachers.
If all schools don't have
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 04:26 — red_balloonIf all schools don't have effective academic leaders, perhaps we should start with firing the bottom 10% of principals. As for professional development opportunities for teachers, I don't know if all ineffective teachers merit that. If they haven't gained the experience after years on the job, one wonders if some teachers are a lost cause.
red--I've thought about the
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 09:24 — jenmanred--I've thought about the bottom 10% thing too. My husband used to work for a company that did that. I think it was if you were in the bottom 5 or 10% you got a 'warning' and if you didn't climb your way out of that bottom by the next year you were out.
Many large companies do
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 09:30 — CaryCurmudgeonMany large companies do this. It may be an unpleasant process, but it does a good job of getting the "dead wood" out.
Diane Ravitch, education
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 22:06 — virginiadareDiane Ravitch, education historian who worked for the first President Bush in his education administration, said::
That's silly...
Mon, 10/18/2010 - 14:01 — Bob_SconceExactly how many countries have TRIED to improve their education system by belittling and firing teachers and principals? (Yes, I'm just joking....)
There is one criticism which, IMO, is rightly leveled at teachers: most professions are self-disciplining -- they deal with getting the incompetents and bad actors out themselves. The North Carolina Medical Board, for example, has 15 disciplinary actions listed against doctors, this month alone. The North Carolina State Bar disciplines dozens of attorneys every year. Dentists, Engineers, Veterinarians, and so on are all subject to professional discipline. Yet, Teachers do not discipline themselves, despite claiming to be a profession. Heck, in fact, they seem to organize themselves to make discipline harder. (Think teachers' unions in most states.)
It seems to me that if Teachers were more active in expelling the incompetent ones from their midst, their "don't blame us" line would be far more credible.
A nation will lag if inept
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 15:47 — red_balloonA nation will lag if inept teachers proliferate. I am surprised you found Ravitch's speech post worthy.
I know you don't like
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 22:32 — CaryCurmudgeonI know you don't like Tedesco, but I think you are over-simplifying. Nobody is saying that we should just fire the bad teachers and problem solved. There are a lot of unanswered questions... What support programs do we provide to students and teachers who are not making the grade? Are there better ways to match teachers and students? Should we consider conducting some classes in a foreigh language? And I'd hope you would admit that there are probably some teachers in our system who are ineffective. One bad teacher craters 35 kids, we can't afford that.
OH dear Lord!!!! Please
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 21:10 — aquaman4life68OH dear Lord!!!! Please tell me this is just gossip and a joke. This woman would just add to the wreck that is occuring here in WCPSS. She is just another do what I say, not as I do. IMO...she's a negative leader and would only HURT the teaching force in this county. They are already having to deal with the left over crap from the old board and Burns and now with the stuff they have to deal with the new board and the drama they have brought on. This lady IS NOT....IS NOT...what this county needs. If you think so, I pity your view on what this school system needs.
WOW!! You guys really want
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 22:14 — aquaman4life68WOW!! You guys really want to punish the teachers don't you! Read about his lady, and what she's all about. It would scare me to have my job evaluation based on circumstances that I have no control over. The teachers can ONLY do what they can do during the time they have the kids during the day. The PARENTS have to step up and take responsibility. You would want your job's evaluation based on how parents raise their kids?!?! All of you wouldn't last a minute under the dictatorship of this woman and what she stands for. What would you say if it was your brother, sister, mother, father, spouse that gets fired based on the scores on a single test on one day, especially the scores from the kids that have NO home support. That is about as unfair as you can get in my book. IMO...people would want her simply to get back at the new board members. That's why I said, she would add to wreck that has already happened and unfolded. Let's just add to the turmoil and make it worse for the teachers and the kids.
I liked the part
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 22:51 — Solon77I liked the part where she hires a principal and then fires him 7 weeks later. As far as achievement - a 15% improvement over 3 years when the starting point is in the toilet is nothing to brag about. After the initial shock n awe, test scores actually declined from 2009 to 2010.
% proficient + % adv for AA.
Reading Math
2010 41.3 41.1
2009 42.8 41.5
2008 39.4 35.5
2007 31.5 22.6
Without public support and test scores actually on the decline, I can see why she quit.
A 10 point increase in 4
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 06:56 — starsonoursA 10 point increase in 4 years but it drops 1/2 a percent in one year and you see failure?
Good Spin
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 13:38 — Solon77Good spin. It is not how you start but how you finish. Look at the starting point, I am not sure it could be lower. Harvesting the low hanging fruit will get you 10 pts. The last 3 years have been medicore gains and the last year actually down. If the potential of the district had been reached and the results plateaued it is a different matter. I don't think anyone thinks 41% is the plateau level. By the way, the overall district numbers were up - only becasue the mix of students changed - higher whites and asians with a decline in AA - so under her watch the achievement gap actually widened.
On the other hand you crap all over wcpss and the scores improved at a higher rate for AA
EOC EOG
08/09 58.5 45.2
07/08 53.2 33.4
One can use strategy 'A' to
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 16:08 — red_balloonOne can use strategy 'A' to get to point 'A'. Perhaps Rhee would have gone on to strategy 'B' since the starting point had changed. But she was ambushed so I guess we are not going to know if she was going to continue to challenge the status quo and aim for even better results. Or do we?
"Ambushed"?
Sun, 10/17/2010 - 10:50 — fiveblindmiceShe pissed off her constituency and was one of the major reasons her mentor got blown away in a free election. She was judged in the public arena by the voters....just as the old guard majority was here last year. Only her rejction was more widespread and by bigger margins. How do you see that as an "ambush"?
Anyway, I think the case against considering her here is made before you even get to to her policies - it's made on her style.
Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with her policies and strategies......surely we can all agree that the last thing we need right now is someone with her combative, divisive my-way-or-the-highway approach. We have quite enough bomb-throwing and confrontation right now - we need someone who can build some bridges and mend some fences. We need someone who is willing to at least TRY to build some consunsus and look for common ground. That person is certainly not Rhee.
Spin?
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 22:01 — starsonoursNice try, why not post the data showing test scores from all the years we have had busing for SE diversity? Does it show a steady increase each year? NO Does it show no declines in performance? NO That graph would look like a roller coaster. You cherry picked one year to make your point not the time span the policy was in place.
You should be extremely dizzy from all the spinning you are doing.
See how easy it is
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 23:23 — Solon77So you see how easy it is to pick data to spin a point of view to which you and others have fallen victim to. The headlines and spinsters in Washington choose to focus on 4 years instead of the last couple of years when Rhees policies were in full force. Not a pretty picture. I could really care less what occurred 4,5,7..... years ago. Like I said it is about how to finish, what is the latest trend ? Is the program making progress or not ? Rhee's results after the first year from a low base have been average at best. Guilford, Charlotte and I am sure it would be easy to find hundreds of districts that have improved at least or better than Washington without the controversy. The mediocre results of Rhee's policies for the last 3 years point to whatever she was doing was not sustainable and was actually starting to damage the district. Hey, but if you believe she is God's gift to education reform, then move to the next district she lands in.
BTW - the test scores you were looking for. And you did know that the tests were revised in 2005/2006 - so any comparison leading up to 05/06 with after 05/06 is not valid.
EOG EOC
08/09 45.2 58.5
07/08 33.4 53.2
06/07 48.5 50.6
05/06 46.2 60.1
+++++++++++++++++
04/05 70.9 64.3
03/04 70.9 63.2
02/03 69.0 59.0
01/02 63.7 56.9
Thanks for the data. The
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 05:58 — starsonoursThanks for the data. The increase WCPSS had (the one that shows how great the old assignment plan was) is lower than it was 4 years ago. Scores dropped then rose again but did not raise above the level it was at 4 years ago.
Link
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 18:02 — Solon77Wow - assignment plan = achievement. I didn't know that. So by going to the neighborhood school assignment model - we can expect test scores to improve by how much ? 5 pts ! 10 pts !
Assignment Plan=Assignment Plan
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 18:11 — starsonoursNope assignment plan=assignment plan. I have never claimed assignment=improved scores, but that is what the supporters of the diversity plan have tried to sale.
While some
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 20:05 — Solon77While some may have, it is clearly documented that inclusion of diversity as one of the assignment elements was no more an achievement mechanism than proximity.
It has been the new board and supporters that have said diversity needed to be eliminated from the assignment policy in order for achievement to go forward. Funny how the Algebra I placement was not impeded by assignment.
It is also funny how the discussion started out with regards to Rhee's performance in Washington and you end up answering with the standard Republican talking points - achievement = assignment, was this a conscious effort on your part or are you so brainwashed it just blurted out ?
"While some may have, it is
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 21:19 — CaryCurmudgeonMaybe you should go back and
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 20:57 — starsonoursMaybe you should go back and read your comments, you started the comments on WCPSS and test scores, or are you so brainwashed you can't remember the crap (a word from your post) you say. Your first post started out blasting someone making progress in a failed system and dismissed it as picking the low hanging fruit, the fruit others were content to let rot! Sorry I should have just let you rant and not try to have a conversation with you. Apparently you don't want to debate the facts you just want to repeat Democrat talking points. Oops I shouldn't have mentioned political parties your next post will accuse me of changing the subject.
Very few people have jobs
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 22:28 — CaryCurmudgeonVery few people have jobs where they are 100% in control of their destiny. We can't simply lay the problen of ED academic failure at the feet of their parents and walk away, nor can we assume that just because a kid is ED their parents don't care about education. I live in a nice middle-class neighborhood and there are plenty of NED kids who barely graduate, some don't even get that far.
Where ED kids do live in a household which lacks the support for education they need, we have two choices:
1. Lay it on the parents, which we know will do nothing to help these kids -- and put them into the prison pipeline, or
2. Use the resources we have to fill the void and give these kids a legitimate shot at success. If that means before/after school programs, fine. If it means incentives to get our best teachers in there, fine.
We can't make laws requiring parents to be more supportive of their child's education, so we need to focus on controlling what we can control. We need a fair system that gives each teacher the resources and opportunity to compete. Those who succeed will be rewarded with seeing their students improve. Those who don't succeed may not be a good fit for a school system that wants to be world-class someday. This may sound cold, but it is exactly what happens every day in the business world.
...
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 04:30 — red_balloonIf a parent can't be a parent, one wonders if the parent should be a parent.
Hey, you need a license to
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 07:11 — CaryCurmudgeonHey, you need a license to drive a car, but you don't need one to be a parent. Clearly, there are parents out there who have no business having children. My point was that we are not going to change that, that is something that must happen on a societal level. So let's deal with it and save as many kids as we can.
And again, you don't need to be ED to be an unsupportive parent, there are plenty of NED parents out there that don't pay attention to their kids.
...
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 20:52 — red_balloonI was surprised to read one needs training and a license to cut hair. But when it comes to parenting? Zilch! We have higher standards for barbers than parents. :(
§ 86A‑3. Qualifications for certificate as a registered barber.
A certificate of registration as a registered barber shall be issued by the Board to any person who meets all of the following qualifications:
(1) Has attended an approved barber school for at least 1528 hours.
(2) Has completed a 12‑month apprenticeship under the supervision of a licensed barber, as provided in G.S. 86A‑24.
(3) Has passed a clinical examination conducted by the Board.
(4) Has submitted to the Board the affidavit required by G.S. 86A‑24(c) certifying that the applicant has served the apprenticeship required by subdivision (2). (1929, c. 119, ss. 3, 4, 11; 1941, c. 375, s. 3; 1961, c. 577, s. 1; 1979, c. 695, s. 1; 1981, c. 457, s. 1; 1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 605, s. 1.)
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByChapter/Chapter_86A.html
right
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 21:31 — loriacRight - she wouldn't mix very with the good ole' boys, would she. Sounds like just what we need.
Indeed!
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 21:35 — petehsAquaman, please don't feel the need to "pity" this blogger's "view:"
I think a woman like Michelle Rhee is just exactly what this county needs.
The teachers who are performing effectively will be better than fine--in fact, they might finally get the well-deserved performance raises that they have long been deserving!!!
I couldn't agree more
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 21:44 — FSandYOUGive her a 5 year deal, some extra perks and let's get going. Time is wasting and our kids are out of time.
What they said! We'd be
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 21:42 — CaryCurmudgeonWhat they said! We'd be lucky to get Michelle Rhee, and I've done a lot of reading on how she has managed DC public schools. There is still way to much incest in the school administration that needs to be cleaned up. The good teachers are those who are driven to improve student achievement. If Rhee and the board take action that improves student achievement, then the good teachers will buy in. Rhee does not have a lot of patience for bureaucracy, and is very big on accountability. With the average principal making over $100K, I think some more accountability is in order -- if you reap the rewards, then you need to accept the responsibility and risk.
Michelle Rhee is "not from around here" so Meeker would hate the choice, but maybe she could learn to speak with a drawl so that the good mayor might come to accept her one day.
Why Michelle Rhee's
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 13:29 — jeannie84Why Michelle Rhee's Education 'Brand' Failed in D.C.
...
Sat, 10/16/2010 - 15:55 — red_balloonAmong white Democrats, 68 percent said Rhee is a reason to support Fenty. Fifty-four percent of black Democrats cite her as a reason to vote against the mayor, according to a Washington Post poll.
A majority of whites prefer reform while a majority of blacks prefer the old ways of doing business. I am disappointed to hear of the reason for Rhee's ouster.
Rhee's departure a blow to
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 15:15 — CaryCurmudgeonRhee's departure a blow to D.C. schools
It's hard getting around a sense that education reform in the nation's capital — and perhaps in the country overall — suffered a body blow with Michelle Rhee's decision to step down as DC public schools chief this week, less than a month after her political wingman, Mayor Adrian Fenty, lost his re-election bid.
Nothing against Rhee's successor, who reportedly shares her reform zeal. Rather, it acknowledges that while many would-be reformers tried and failed to fix D.C.'s ailing school system, Rhee made real progress over 3½ years — closing bad schools, firing hundreds of subpar teachers and changing the system's culture from one of accepting mediocrity (or worse) to one striving for excellence.
Fenty empowered Rhee, insulated her from attacks from the teachers union and others. But he lost to D.C.Council Chairman Vincent Gray in last month's Democratic primary, making Gray the presumptive mayor because D.C. is overwhelmingly Democratic.
Rhee and Gray have clashed, but some thought they might work things out because under Rhee student test scores have risen and decades of declining enrollment had stopped.
Rhee's departure is a setback for national reform efforts in the sense D.C.'s school system has the highest of profiles, with 535 members of Congress noting every development. In that laboratory Rhee produced empirical evidence for reform whose value is hard to overstate.
Now Rhee seeks new challenges. As she does, local reformers might invite her to Oklahoma City to talk about lessons learned in D.C. and how they might help efforts here.
Wake parents too
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 14:59 — user12345As a former DCPS PTA mom, I am among the many DC voters who had grown weary of the endless churning in the system. <see assignment plans, superintendents, zones, etc.)
Because What We Need More Than Anything....
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 22:57 — fiveblindmice......right now is a highly divisive figure who left her last job with massive disapproval from her employees, the parents AND the general public. That's just the ticket!
I am not opining Rhee is
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 04:35 — red_balloonI am not opining Rhee is what WCPSS needs but given that most of the resistance was from teachers upset over job security and parents who were more content with a failing school system, I wouldn't hold Rhee's ejection from DC against her.
Having lived and worked in
Fri, 10/15/2010 - 13:01 — shearertwHaving lived and worked in the DC area, being rejected from there may be the highlight of her CV and trump that of any other candidate. Hire her immediately or at least extend the best possible offer.
Yep, as long as the new
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 22:59 — CaryCurmudgeonYep, as long as the new superintendent follows the policies of the board (like they are supposed to do), they will be labeled as a divisive figure.
Meeker won't be happy anyway...who cares?
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 21:48 — AngelaW" 26 people have emerged so far mostly from the East Coast and mid-Atlantic states"
Wonder if
Thu, 10/14/2010 - 23:23 — TrailerParkGirlWonder if any of them are from Jersey and/or heaven forbid - of Italian decent.