Post Column: Baltimore school reform shows Rhee's way isn't the only path to success

By Robert McCartney

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 6, 2010; 7:16 PM

Michelle Rhee vs. Randi Weingarten. Heroic schools reformer vs. obstructionist union boss. In much of the media and the public mind, the national debate over education has been oversimplified into a grudge match between those two strong-willed women.

It's not the whole story, and it's self-defeating to think it is. That black-and-white caricature about the choices in education - recently highlighted in the celebrated documentary "Waiting for 'Superman' " and on Oprah Winfrey's television show - confuses and undermines the discussion of how to fix urban schools.

To get a clearer picture, you need look no farther than an hour's drive north in Baltimore. There, schools chief Andres Alonso has achieved substantial educational progress through ambitious reform efforts similar to Rhee's - but without alienating teachers and parents in the process.

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(This is a great article and I encourage everyone to read it and come back and comment about it here) Read the full article here