Michelle Rhee Resigns as Chancellor of D.C. Schools

The main story is at Washington Post. She's too hot politically, but she's got what it takes to shake up the union stranglehold on education:

Rhee's goals - higher student achievement, better teachers and greater accountability for their classroom performance - were generally shared by her predecessors. But with new powers putting the struggling school system under mayoral control, Rhee pursued the goals with an unprecedented zeal.

She closed more than two dozen schools, fired teachers by the hundreds and spent more than two years negotiating a labor contract that gives principals new control over teacher hiring while establishing a new performance-pay system that ties compensation to growth in student test scores.

Rhee also dramatically expanded the number of spaces in preschool, pre-K and Head Start, and opened the Early Stages diagnostic center to help flag learning disabilities in children ages 2 to 5. She piloted a program of "wrap-around" support services for at-risk middle school kids and launched a program of "themed" schools focusing on science and technology, world cultures and the arts.

I'll have more on education issues in upcoming days. But Sweetness & Light adds this on Rhee's departure:

But do note that we have had complete silence about Ms. Rhee from Mr. and Mrs. Obama. Both of whom constantly pretend to be concerned about education, despite doing everything in their powers to undercut any and all teacher reforms. (Such as doing away with vouchers in the District’s system.)

Of course, in actual truth, the Obamas are only interested in funneling more money to their foot soldiers in the teachers unions.

And never mind that they send their own children to the non-union Sidwell Friends school, just like good Washington Democrats always do.