Should the Ability to Reconcile Be a Requirement of Rhee's Position?

With the DC primary election looming three days away, DC journalists, officials, and educators continue to voice their concerns in desperation for their cause: it's assumed that a win for mayoral candidate Adrian Fenty will guarantee that Michelle Rhee will stay in office, while a win for Vince Gray would precede the end of her leadership of DCPS.

Three days before the election is arguably the most important time for both sides to make their final case, so such arguments merit our attention now more than ever. The Washington Post's Colbert I. King makes an especially interesting point, citing Rhee's inability to reconcile racial tension. He laments, "Rhee's poll numbers… are in the pits among black residents." After Rhee campaigned in predominantly white districts this weekend, King continued, "How can black parents now trust her to be fair? Regardless of Tuesday's outcome at the polls, Michelle Rhee should clean out her desk."

Although Colbert uses no data on students, schools, achievement, or even financial efficiency, some, like Colbert, argue that Rhee’s support among racial lines has become increasingly polarized. Should Rhee’s ability to “extend the olive branch" to all people be a prerequisite for Rhee's right to retain her position? To what extent does this factor matter amidst the greater goal of getting our students to succeed in the classroom?

Although specifics are not as heated at the moment, this topic also could apply to Baltimore city. Like Rhee, BCPSS superintendent Andres Alonso is not of the same race as the majority of the students he serves, but yet, he has not received the same scrutiny. Why is Rhee the subject of such criticism while Alonso is not?