Michelle Rhee, the controversial former DC schools Chancellor and central figure in the movie Waiting for Superman, has announced she is starting a political activist organization on behalf of children for better education. Here is an excerpt from the story she wrote in Newsweek (image above also from the article):
“When you think about how things happen in our country—how laws get passed or policies are made—they happen through the exertion of influence. From the National Rifle Association to the pharmaceutical industry to the tobacco lobby, powerful interests put pressure on our elected officials and government institutions to sway or stop change. Education is no different. We have textbook manufacturers, teachers’ unions, and even food vendors that work hard to dictate and determine policy… but there is no big organized interest group that defends and promotes the interests of children.
You can see the impact of this dynamic playing out every day. Policymakers, school-district administrators, and school boards who are beholden to special interests have created a bureaucracy that is focused on the adults instead of the students.
That’s why I’ve decided to start StudentsFirst, a national movement to transform public education in our country. We need a new voice to change the balance of power in public education. Our mission is to defend and promote the interests of children… Until now, there has been no organization for them. We’ll ask people across the country to join StudentsFirst—we’re hoping to sign up 1 million members and raise $1 billion in our first year.
We’ll fight against (more…)
