DFER launch

Democrats for Education Reform had a great launch event in DC on Monday, highlighted by amazing remarks by Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (I've posted the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9BC5ciKMyE ) and new DC schools chancellor Michelle Rhee (DFER Chairman Kevin Chavous also spoke -- see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_iipcjbg7M
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Michelle Rhee ROCKS!  Don't let the fact that she's charming and friendly fool you: she has an iron will and is taking no prisoners when it comes to cleaning up the disgraceful cesspool that the Washington DC public school system has become.  Kudos to Mayor Adrian Fenty for giving her total 100% support!  It's remarkable what can happen when you combine mayoral control with a strong mayor and chancellor team who get it and have guts -- another good example is NYC (and, I hope, in the near future, Newark).

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Monday, September 17, 2007
Democrats for Education Reform
http://edelection.blogspot.com/2007/09/democrats-for-education-reform.html
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The surprise star at last night's launch of the Democrats For Education Reform was Michelle Rhee, the new DC schools chancellor. With her humor and spunk very much intact in spite of smacking repeatedly against what may be the worst-run school central office in the entire country, Rhee regaled a crowd of about 100 national education reformers at the Hotel Washington across from the U.S. Treasury Department with fresh stories from close quarters bureaucratic combat.