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Bee Eater: Michelle Rhee Takes On The Nation's Worst School District (2011)

by Richard Whitmire(Favorite Author)

3.62 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1283027402 (ISBN13: 9781283027403)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Jossey-Bass

review 1: I gave four stars because I got an insight into the controversial educational reform in DC, got a clear understanding as to how some of that reform is reflected in district reforms around the country, and learned a little more about the philosophies of Michelle Rees (albeit from a friend). The book lost a star because the author purposely avoided ANY negative personal experiences and events in Michelle's life he felt was irrelevant to the subject at hand. However, casually throws "shade" at others personality quirks ..."Marion Barry showed up late, he was known for the habit of tardiness." A total "thought out loud" that neither added or took away from any part of the story.
review 2: I read this book for a few reasons. First, I’m insanely curious about Rhee.... more I actively seek out articles about her or interviews with her and followed her movement as DC schools chancellor closely. Coming from a family of educators, I find her to be a fascinating public figure. The second reason I wanted to read this book is that despite my interest in Rhee, I still didn’t feel knowledgeable enough about her—or her policies—to make a judgment call on the work she did during her term as chancellor.Here’s the good about this book: it’s laid out well and organized in such a way as to boil down the not insignificant amounts of information about Rhee into approachable, easy to understand chapters. Whitmire did an admirable job of staying out of the weeds and focusing more specifically on the broad strokes of Rhee’s decision-making. The book also provides a non-DC resident some fairly good insight as to the major struggles in the education system—struggles that are echoed at-large in other areas of city politics. Whitmire explains the socioeconomic divides helped along by DC’s geography in a way that even a local may not fully grasp, and that’s helpful to remember throughout the book as a major context to the reforms Rhee was trying to put into place. Additionally, although I knew most of what Whitmire discussed in the book, there were absolutely some moments that took me by surprise. The multifaceted nature of Rhee’s tenure made it difficult to sort through all the information in real-time, and with the benefit of a year or two years of research, Whitmire has helped bring issues to the surface that were probably never touched on by the local media.But…that’s the good. Unfortunately, there’s a major (bad) problem with the book. Luckily, the author himself addresses it in the forward, which is to say, that he mentions he was very close to the issue and in the process of seeking Rhee’s cooperation with the book (he got it), he also became a Big Rhee Fan. That bias is evident throughout, and although he tries to present legitimate criticisms of Rhee that led to her eventual ousting later in the book, Whitmire’s bias makes the entire chapter come off as defensive or excuse-laden rather than objective.However, in the end, I still got what I wanted out of the book. I got an in-depth portrait of Rhee (both personal and professional) and feel more educated about the work she did as DC schools chancellor—enough to maybe discuss it without feeling like I’m grasping at straws or simply pulling random quotes from Post articles or NPR interviews. Whether you love her, hate her or know nothing about her, one can’t deny the fact that she brought attention to many issues that would have otherwise stayed buried…both in DC and on a national scale. It’s clear there were missteps during her term, but she also sparked positive education reform and got people talking about issues and looking for ways to solve problems. Whatever your personal opinion, she’s someone worth reading about. less

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