From Rhee’s controversial StudentsFirst web site:
(For background information, please read this recent Tampa Bay Times opinion editorial by speaker-designate Will Weatherford of the Florida House of Representatives where he discusses the importance of accountability and testing.)
Florida has led the nation in its efforts to establish strong systems of accountability. These systems hold adults accountable for serving all of our students well, and ensure our kids are learning and receiving the education they deserve. Unfortunately, Florida’s precedent-setting accountability system is under attack.
Local politicians in twelve Florida school districts caved under pressure from special interests who are working to derail our state’s education reform efforts and adopted a resolution against testing. These groups are working to remove any sort of accountability from our schools. Several other school districts are being pressured to adopt similar resolutions in the coming weeks.
Florida cannot afford to turn back the clock on its accountability system.
In the nearly fifteen years that Florida parents, teachers and elected officials have been using accountability systems to measure our students’ progress, the improvement in Florida’s educational system has been undeniable.
Education professionals across the state of Florida - at all levels – should stand up for the accountability systems that have successfully transformed Florida’s education system!
Rhee must have interns writing this crap. I doubt even one of the Jeb Bush’s gang would run with a whopper like ”education professionals across the state of Florida” “should stand up for the accountability systems that have successfully transformed Florida’s education system.” Her amateurish “special interests” have “gotten a bunch of Florida school board members to cave” is another howler. It’s doubtful that a Florida school board member would be pleased with Rhee to hear her say that they “caved” to pressure from anyone when the resolution had been their idea.
A gullible House Speaker-in-Waiting Will Weatherford was likely dragged into the PR war by Bush and Patricia Levesque by putting is name on this op-ed. If Rhee was recruited too, it’s a laughable and predictable attempt that demonstrates just how desperate they are. This stunt has the potential to backfire spectacularly.
Rhee should just be honest. She is not upset over local politicians caving under pressure from special interests. She is just upset that they didn’t cave under pressure from her special interest. Having local politicians cave under pressure from a special interest is exactly what she wants, as long as that special interest is Students First.
I am concerned about the petition that StudentsFirst now has circulating to gather signatures to protect Florida students from all of the folks concerned about high-stakes testing…Signer beware!
Rhee’s hack, Catherine Durkin Robinson, infiltrated (or should I say purchased a table for $1500 to get in) the school boards association conference in Tampa. She heard the information session on how and why we should oppose Amendment 8. Not good to let the enemy into your camp.