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Michelle Rhee Defends Education Revamp in Washington DC

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    Michelle Rhee of StudentsFirst on reforming education.

  • Duration 4:36
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Lots of schools aren't just lousy would you do if you were part of the government's monopoly.

One school chancellor fired under performing teachers that made people -- I think she's -- -- misguided and she's done that so a lot of other people.

She was not trained as a teacher she doesn't know what real teaching is what a terrible choice to lead schools she's also been called the -- lady.

Time -- but I don't wish who's this awful person well let's ask her Michelle reed joins us from California.

So you didn't make people -- Yes I don't think he fired 36 principles 200 some teachers close schools.

In eventually were pushed out in -- out.

-- -- Well remember that when I took over the district -- was the lowest performing and most dysfunctional district in the entire country so the things that I did Willer where things that I just thought were obvious.

You know I'm gonna close low performing failing schools would have been failing children for decades.

I'm going to.

Fire in affected employees and the gonna -- the effective -- a lot more money.

That a cut a central office bureaucracy -- bloated out of control and half.

Those -- the things that I eight knew needed to get done if we were ever gonna fix the system.

And that's when I started getting called gulf kinds of McCain's.

You know -- that would you know this terrible.

Person but in my mind it was just trying to bring some common sense to an incredibly dysfunctional system.

And you've heard the phrase the education blob do you think that's fair.

You know there is -- there there is a an absolute in her shot -- round and bureaucracy.

That is the that exist to serve itself and to serve the needs of adults and you know contracts and jobs -- opposed to kids the system did not become the way that it was by accident.

There were people who were benefiting every single day from that dysfunction they were allowed to keep their jobs -- were allowed to keep their contract they were allowed to keep their programs going.

Even though they didn't produce any results for kids because there was no accountability when you brought accountability into the system.

And you stop the gravy train for a lot of these people you're gonna get a tremendous amount of push back from above block.

You move gonna start an advocacy group called students first -- of a new book called radical.

I don't frankly figure radical and off based on the standards of this program.

-- You were certainly too radical for Washington DC.

And you were on usual act as a Democrat you supported.

You oppose vouchers but now you've changed your -- You know I am -- a lifelong Democrat.

And when I was looking eyeball to eyeball with these mothers who wanted nothing more for their kids than what I -- for my kids which was that they getting high quality education.

I knew that I didn't have spots and a high quality DC public school for their kids to be able to -- -- -- I thought.

You know what I'm not I'm not gonna stop this person from taking -- 7500.

Dollar voucher which by the way with a lot less than what we're spending per kid.

In the district so that they could maybe go to -- Catholic parochial schools somewhere in get a great education I just was not willing to say to those parents.

I'm sorry you're going to have to continue to send your kid to a failing school while I try to -- The system and what you -- spending in the district is astounding.

DC claims it's about nineteen foul per pupil the Cato Institute says it's more like 29000.

That 700 foul per classroom where's the money go.

Oh.

Well this is one of the things that I found was that you know what and you hear this a lot in in the debates about education reform you'd hear people all the time -- What we need in order to fix the system is more money more money.

But the reality is that over the last two to three decades in this country we have more than doubled and almost tripled the amount of money that we are spending on public education per child.

And yet the results have remained pretty much stagnant until we fix the foundational.

Fundamental problems.

That -- that system.

Then more money and more investment is not gonna produce better results we have to fix the laws and policies that govern how schools are run.

And and whether or not we're putting kids interest before -- interest and only after we fixed.

Those those laws and policies will -- an additional investment result in better outcomes for kids.

I would think fix there would mean more competition your group has already gotten laws passed in that direction you've lifted the charter school cap and Michigan.

Good luck to you thank you Michelle Marie.

Thank you.

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