Radical: Fighting to Put Students First
Progressive reformer or right-wing union buster? Rhee, public-schools chancellor in Washington, D.C., from 2007 to 2010, gives her version of the “conflicts and controversies” surrounding her career. A first-generation Korean American, she traces her “journey” from growing up in the Midwest, to her stint as a Teach for America novice in a Baltimore public school, to her founding of an alternative teacher-preparation program, the New Teacher Project, before emerging as a national figure. Compelled to step down after the mayor who championed her was defeated, Rhee founded StudentsFirst, a political lobbying organization aimed at changing education policy. Rhee calls herself an ardent “pro-teacher” Democrat whose vision for education reform includes high pay for excellent teachers, stringent evaluation based chiefly on student achievement, and elimination of tenure. Those seeking a nuanced analysis of public education’s challenges and power agendas may be disappointed, though Rhee’s readable narrative (replete with periodic petty asides) is a good primer for understanding current public debates and policy changes being enacted in statehouses across the country. --Carolyn Saper