[ti:What Next for Michelle Rhee and Her School Reform Campaign?] [ar:Steve Ember] [al:Education Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This is the VOA Special English [00:03.47]Education Report. [00:05.66]Michelle Rhee had never [00:07.65]led a school system [00:09.22]before she came to [00:10.59]the public schools in Washington [00:13.02]in two thousand seven. [00:15.07]By the end of the following year [00:17.20]she was on the cover of Time. [00:19.89]The magazine recognized her [00:22.81]as a national leader [00:24.37]in education reform. [00:26.42]And now Ms. Rhee appears [00:29.35]in the film [00:30.15]"Waiting for 'Superman,'" [00:31.77]a documentary about problems [00:34.38]in the educational system. [00:36.45]MICHELLE RHEE: "You wake up [00:37.32]every morning and you know that [00:38.82]kids are getting a really [00:40.12]crappy education right now." [00:41.57]DAVIS GUGGENHEIM: "So you think [00:43.20]that most of the kids [00:44.13]are getting a crappy education [00:45.08]right now?" [00:45.89]MICHELLE RHEE: "Oh, I don't think [00:46.72]they are. I know they are." [00:48.02]Ms. Rhee closed underperforming [00:50.90]schools in America's capital. [00:53.08]She dismissed hundreds of teachers [00:56.08]and administrators [00:57.32]-- including the principal [00:59.19]at her daughters' school. [01:01.07]She angered the teachers union [01:04.07]and those traditionally protected [01:06.56]in permanent jobs, [01:08.24]but who she said were not [01:10.80]doing a good enough job. [01:12.61]She negotiated a new labor contract [01:15.98]that measures teacher success based [01:18.78]in part on student performance. [01:22.39]Many of her actions were the same [01:25.21]as those supported nationally [01:27.66]by the Department of Education [01:29.60]and President Obama. [01:31.47]But last week, Michelle Rhee [01:34.54]announced she will leave [01:36.03]after almost three and a half years. [01:38.53]Her resignation takes effect [01:41.64]at the end of October. [01:43.76]She said Washington's next mayor [01:46.87]should be able to start [01:48.36]with someone of his own choice. [01:51.10]On November second, voters are [01:54.35]expected to elect Vincent Gray, [01:57.02]now the city council chairman. [01:59.48]Democrats nominated him [02:01.78]over Mayor Adrian Fenty. [02:03.73]People can argue about [02:06.29]why Mayor Fenty lost after one term. [02:09.90]But for many voters, one reason [02:12.78]was his hiring of Michelle Rhee [02:15.73]and his support [02:17.05]for her aggressive reforms. [02:19.85]Public opinion surveys [02:22.12]showed a racial divide. [02:24.11]A majority of whites but only [02:27.35]a third of blacks thought [02:29.71]the public schools have improved. [02:32.39]Close to seventy percent of whites [02:35.56]told the Washington Post that [02:38.39]Ms. Rhee was a reason [02:40.01]to support Mayor Fenty. [02:42.43]But more than half of blacks [02:44.92]saw her as a reason [02:46.79]to vote against him. [02:48.71]Mr. Gray and Mr. Fenty [02:51.33]are both African-American, [02:53.44]as are three out of four students [02:56.30]in the District [02:58.96]of Columbia public schools. [03:00.83]Mr. Gray promises to continue [03:04.25]school reform efforts. [03:06.55]Ms. Rhee's leadership team [03:09.60]will remain until the end [03:11.72]of the school year. [03:13.33]Her deputy, Kaya Henderson, [03:16.01]is taking her place, [03:17.56]at least for now. [03:19.06]It is unclear what Michelle Rhee [03:22.66]will do next. [03:23.72]Shortly after her announcement, [03:26.15]she launched michellerhee.org. [03:29.58]She says she will continue [03:31.65]her efforts for education reform, [03:34.34]and she is asking people [03:36.35]to share ideas. [03:38.98]She also says [03:41.17]she wants to live closer [03:42.99]to her future husband, [03:44.92]Kevin Johnson, the mayor [03:46.85]of Sacramento, California. [03:49.10]And that's the VOA Special English [03:53.39]Education Report. [03:54.82]I'm Steve Ember.