See No Evil? George Stephanopoulis Ignores Controversy To Help Michelle Rhee Sell Her New Book

If someone unfamiliar with the state of education reform in this country were to watch this little lovefest with Stephanopoulis and Michelle Rhee, they might be left with the conclusion that she's a Democrat with a hunger to fix the schools, a

queen of using test results to denigrate schools and teachers across the nation?

Of course, the purpose of the interview was to let her pimp her new book, which comes out tomorrow. That would be the same book where she uses a non-profit organization (StudentsFirst) funded by the likes of Rupert Murdoch and the DeVos family to push her brand of "Rhee-form" -- privatization of our public school system.

It still doesn't let GSteph off the hook. Even in this New York Times interview, the question of the cheating scandal came up to at least remind people that Rhee's career and subsequent fame has come via scandal, not substance.

It aggravates me that this woman is involved at any level in our debate over improving public schools --not only because I don't agree with her on a policy level, but because she is pushing the message of the right-wing school reformers who see public education as a money tree waiting to be shaken.

This is a woman who believes teachers are not professionals and can therefore be replaced with bright-eyed future hedge fund managers who serve a couple of years and move on. She believes classrooms can be sardined with sixty students and one good teacher and learning will happen. Forget student safety or any semblance of individual instruction. Just plop those kids down and crank up the 'structured learning programs' developed by companies that ask questions about pineapples and rabbits and it'll all be good. The test scores will prove it!

GSteph could have asked Rhee what she thought about Jeb Bush and ALEC's involvement in promoting privatization interests in Florida. That would have been revealing. But he didn't.

Instead, he served as her Rhee-seller. When does media stop giving this woman a pass and start looking at what she is really trying to do to public education in this country?

More C&L
Loading ...