The Post profiles Michelle Rhee

The Post pens an in-depth profile of Michelle Rhee, DC Mayor Fenty's choice to be the next Superindendent of Public Schools.  Her appointment is being taken up by the DC City Council this week. 

The appointment of Rhee may end up having national significance.  She is one of the first of a wave of education reformers to come from the remarkable Teach for America program to move into a top administrative spot.  It is also an early - perhaps too early - test of the young, idealistic and determined reformers coming out of the maturing national service movement.  It is a classic case of the old meets the new, but of course the battle will mean a great deal for those of us who live in DC and have kids in public schools here (I will have kids in 2nd grade and Kindergarten next year). 

I am hopeful that Fenty made a wise choice with Rhee.  Improving of our public schools, particularly for our fast growing minority populations in our resurgent urban cores, is one of the most important challenges facing the nation.  This job became a more urgent one with the Supreme Court's decision last week on limiting the ability of school districts to integrate their schools.  As the parent of kids in public schools I admire Mayor Fenty's bold vision and courage to appoint someone with Rhee's background to this critical post.  While the idea of Rhee is a powerful one, what matters most is now is that she and the Mayor carry out this reform ideas and improve DC's troubled schools.  The hard part of this great gamble has just begun.