The Bee Eater: Michelle Rhee Takes on the Nation’s Worst School District

I finished reading The Bee Eater: Michelle Rhee Takes on the Nation's Worst School District (www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0470905298/tilsoncapitalpar), and I can't recommend it highly enough.  It's both a great read – you couldn't make up these characters and there are incredibly dramatic decisions, confrontations, etc. – but it also should be required reading for all reformers because of the important lessons. 

 

I am in awe of the courage and tenacity Michelle Rhee showing in fighting for kids (and the political courage Adrian Fenty showed in backing her 100%).  Here's what the author, Richard Whitmire, wrote to me yesterday:

I appeared at Politics & Prose yesterday, "the" bookstore in D.C. located in upscale NW, and encountered a steady stream of Rhee detractors -- all of whom offered up bizarre conspiracy theories about Michelle, but not a single person had any thoughts on why low-income African American kids in D.C. are as much as two years behind comparable kids in other urban areas. Pretty sad, really.

It's more than sad – it's tragic!

 

If $14.39 (the price on Amazon) is an obstacle for you, email Leila at Leilajt2@gmail.com and I'll buy it for you.