John Merrow's Growing Relentlessness on Rhee Cheating Scandal Sparks Rhee Scrutiny

John Merrow has been relentless in connecting the dots in the Michelle Rhee cheating scandal. Remember those glowing reports he did on PBS about Rhee (and Vallas in New Orleans?)

Don't underestimate how important the move of media people like Merrow away from supporting the deformers will prove to be.
Connect these dots to Walcott's almost hysterical response to the mayoral candidates.

I see on Dec. 31 Tweedies burning and shredding documents like they did in the US Saigon embassy on the day before the fall.

The New Republic, which I seem to remember being a cheerleader for ed deform (I may be wrong so check my work) has this:

How Michelle Rhee Misled Education Reform A memoir illustrates what's wrong with her brand of school

Surely one reason that the education-reform movement comports itself in this strident and limited manner is that it depends so heavily on the largesse of people who are used to getting their way and to whom the movement’s core arguments have a powerful face validity. Only a tiny percentage of American children attend the kind of expensive, non-sectarian private schools where many of the elite send their children. It is worth noting that these schools generally avoid giving their students the standardized achievement tests that state education departments require, making the results public, and paying teachers on the basis of the scores, and that they almost never claim to be creating hyper-competitive, commercial-skills-purveying environments for their students. Sidwell Friends, of presidential-daughter fame, says it offers “a rich and rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum designed to stimulate creative inquiry, intellectual achievement and independent thinking in a world increasingly without borders.” That doesn’t sound like it would cut much ice with Michelle Rhee.

The crew at The Chalkface had Merrow on:

If Michelle Rhee covers up cheating while Chancellor of DCPS does anyone in the mainstream media care? @the chalkface does! 
Listen here as we talk to John Merrow about the "Reign of Rhee."http://www.blogtalkradio.com/chalkface/2013/05/23/special-episode-of-at-the-chalk-face-w-john-merrow

John Merrow posted this on May 15, 2013 -- he hammers Rhee,making (partially) for the positive publicity

Friends,
Just how different are the situations in Atlanta and Washington, DC?  We know Atlanta is the poster child for cheating, of course.  How does DC stack up?  This post compares the two cities, beginning with the editorial pages of the local newspapers, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Washington Post, specifically their editorials about public education.

Here's the link: http://bit.ly/19tuyvX

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Thanks
John

John Merrow
Education Correspondent,
PBS NewsHour, and President,
Learning Matters, Inc.