Rhee-peating in D.C.

Michelle Rhee may be gone as dictator of D.C. public schools, but her ruinous policies have hardly been forgotten. Her successor, Kaya Henderson, is just as bad about putting through destructive "reforms" like expanding charters and cutting jobs, including gutting school libraries. After all, kids can always get "books" through Kindle or use the internet even if they have no access to either.

A study commissioned by DC Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright uses a system of “tiers” to designate a school’s ranking as high-performing or low-performing. The study by Chicago-based consulting firm IFF found that nearly three-dozen schools, or one third of the city’s total, fell under the “low performing” category and recommended them for closure or “revamping”. One proposal would extend the length of the school day in designated areas, mimicking the schedule of some charter schools.

IFF’s findings have been criticized due to the firm’s reported dealings with charter schools. The firm has allegedly made $57 million from loans to charters in the Chicago region. Consequently, the nonprofit’s study was underwritten by a $100,000 loan from the Walton family, founders of Wal-Mart and renowned advocates of privatization of the public sector and school charterization. The family is a major benefactor for the charter school system in the District.

The usual suspects with the usual motives. Nice.