Federal

UPDATED: Is Michelle Rhee Headed For the Door?

By Dakarai I. Aarons — October 12, 2010 1 min read
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[UPDATE (Oct. 13): District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee will announce this morning that she has decided to step down after three and a half years in the job, a source close to the chancellor told Education Week.]

[CLARIFICATION (Oct. 13): An earlier version of this story mentioned that Jennifer Calloway had left her position as Ms. Rhee’s press secretary. Her departure was not related to Ms. Rhee announcement today.]

The Washington Post is reporting that District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee will announce her impending departure on Wednesday.

Rhee is expected to announce that she’s leaving at the end of the month during a press conference with her boss, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, and presumptive mayor Vincent C. Gray, the city council chairman who beat Fenty in last month’s Democratic primary. Gray is the only candidate for mayor on the November ballot.

Rhee’s future has been in doubt since Fenty’s loss, and she has previously refused to say much post-election on her future. She campaigned for Fenty and made headlines the day after the election when she suggested that Gray’s win could be devastating for D.C.'s schoolchildren.

I’ve asked Rhee for confirmation of the Post‘s story, which quotes unnamed sources close to Rhee and Gray, and we’ll have more on this as it develops.

In her three and a half years leading the school district, Rhee has drawn national attention for her push to close underachieving schools, overhaul a teacher contract to include performance pay, and fire underperforming central-office workers. Her role in the newly released film “Waiting for ‘Superman’” has given her even wider recognition.

Read more about Rhee’s tenure, and her reflections on it, in this video interview and story I wrote last month for Education Week.

Education Week reporter Sarah D. Sparks contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Susan Walsh/AP-File

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A version of this news article first appeared in the District Dossier blog.