Nonprofit Leader Appointed to Oversee DC Schools

The chief executive of a nonprofit organization in New York has been appointed to oversee Washington, D.C., schools by the city’s mayor, but some observers are questioning her management and education experience, reports The Washington Post.

The appointment of Michelle Rhee, chief executive of the New Teacher Project, which supports and trains teachers to work in “high-need” schools, came as a surprise to many people — including the District’s city council and the newly fired superintendent. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty had conducted his search quietly, the newspaper says. The school system has about 55,000 students.

Ms. Rhee worked for three years as a teacher in Baltimore but otherwise has no experience working in an educational system, according to the Post. “She hasn’t had a vast amount of management experience,” says D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray. “There will be a wait-and-see period.”

(Free registration is required to view this article.)