Today I attended a lecture by Michelle Rhee, a Cornell graduate, who now serves as the chancellor of the public school system of D.C. Rhee was appointed by the mayor in the summer of 2007 and has been working ever since to improve the notoriously inefficient and relatively low-achieving school district.
Michelle Rhee is a prominent example of an Asian-American woman who defies the stereotype of being passive, submissive, and quiet. She is outspoken, determined, and has blazed a trail of change in her work both as chancellor and as the founder of The New Teacher Project, a non-profit organization that recruits and trains teachers.
Both the problems with and solutions for the Washington, D.C. public school system were summed up in two key issues by Rhee. The problems had to do with a lack of accountability and politics-driven decision-making. Rhee’s solutions pinpointed strong leadership, as she praised current mayor Adrian Fenty, and high-quality teachers.
The most inspiring part of Rhee’s speech was her passion for and dedication to education. While she handles the day-to-day business of looking at finances, students’ demands, teacher qualifications and personnel overview, she is also deeply committed to public education, the “great equalizer” of the U.S.
The point on which I most agreed with Ms. Rhee was the continual and constant need to affirm the idea of “the American Dream.” Even though we have a Bill of Rights written into our Constitution, the American Dream isn’t something we can just take for granted as inherent in our country. The ability of any given person to “make it” in the U.S. must be something we actively ensure. Michelle Rhee works tirelessly to make sure that public education in our nation’s capital affords each child, regardless of race or origin, an opportunity to achieve. It’s important to join her in her effort to make sure that every American citizen has the same options. Otherwise, “the American Dream” will become a cultural myth, rather than a reality of this great country.
