Jeanne Allen: After Rhee, DC School Reform Must Not Lose Momentum

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jeanne Allen, President of The Center for Education Reform, released the following statement regarding the pending departure of DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee:

"The re-imagining of DC public schools began before Michelle Rhee's tenure, but it was Rhee who spearheaded a new contract that respected and rewarded teachers, praised charter schools, supported the endangered DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, and held administrators and teachers accountable for results. She and Mayor Fenty have demonstrated the political will so lacking in many other city and school leaders, before and, likely, since. They were fearless in their decision-making and focused on raising student achievement even when their own careers were on the line. They focused on the children in the classroom, not the adults. It was Michelle Rhee who turned DC schools into a national showcase. It was the teachers union that turned DC schools into a national battleground. Because of this, DC's new mayor and the next chancellor must be especially vigilant in ensuring that reforms aren't diluted or slowed-down for the sake of compromise. Our children cannot afford it."

The Center for Education Reform drives the creation of better educational opportunities for all children.  CER changes laws, minds and cultures to allow good schools to flourish.

SOURCE Center for Education Reform