I don’t have a background in transit or planning, and my guess is that you don’t either. You’re probably like me: You want to be in a community that values livability for all residents and you want to keep track of our region’s efforts to get there. But we non-experts play a crucial role, and we need to put our money where our hearts are and donate to Greater Greater Washington today.
I joined the Greater Greater Washington Board of Directors a couple of years back because I wanted to do my part to ensure that strong voices supporting a more livable Washington, DC are heard and supported.
Our community will be more sustainable and equitable with a transit system that opens opportunities for all citizens and increases mobility for work and play. Also, we all can agree that housing affordability is a major issue in our region, and it threatens to push longtime residents out of communities that have grown because of the their hard work.
I don’t have the personal expertise and ability to bring about change on these issues, but I know a collection of people who do: the GGWash contributors, commenters, and readers. I’m a fly on the wall for a number of internal GGWash conversations, and I’m so impressed at the knowledge and commitment of the people associated with the site.
How will you support this effort? Will you write a blog post? Will you attend committee hearings and testify? Will you run for office? I hope you will.
But if now isn’t the right time for you to do those things (and believe me, it’s not the right time for me!) I hope you will agree that our obligation to cause change isn’t lessened by the exhaustion of our personal lives. Do what you can: Make a monthly contribution today.
Many of you are able to cause lasting, positive change for livability in this region because of your job, your volunteering, or your expertise. I hope to have some impact personally through my work (education at the national level), but it’s a couple of steps removed. What I know I can do to ensure that the right voices are heard on important issues that impact my community is to support Greater Greater Washington.
I hope you’ll join me.
Photo by Commonwealth Club on Flickr.
Last week former DC Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced that she is stepping down from her post as head of StudentsFirst, the non-profit advocacy group she founded. Is this the swan song for an education reform leader who rose to prominence through her time at DCPS?
Rhee says she will remain involved in StudentsFirst and is proud of what she’s accomplished there, but the group has struggled recently. The organization has pulled out of 5 states where it was active, and even some supporters acknowledge that StudentsFirst has not met the ambitious goals Rhee outlined at its launch.
It’s not clear whether Rhee plans to take on another high-profile assignment in the education world, but her recent announcements suggest a move out of the spotlight.
Rhee says she’s stepping down from the StudentsFirst job to focus on her family and support the career of her husband, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson. She also recently took on the role of interim board chair for a small network of Sacramento charter schools, likely a welcome change from the size and prominence of DCPS. A gig on the board of Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. also won’t hurt her recuperation from years in the trenches.
Love Rhee or hate her, she had a significant impact on education in DC. Her successor as Chancellor, Kaya Henderson, has continued many of Rhee’s key initiatives with a tone that is more community-minded, as GGW anticipated at the time of her appointment.
While much of Rhee’s legacy lives on in the District, many of her signature reforms are taking a step back in that large city to the north. Several years ago, former New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein was implementing many of the same initiatives as Rhee. (I once attended a conference where Klein recalled fielding requests from Rhee antagonists asking for help in modulating her; Klein responded, “I’m not her Daddy!”)
The trajectory has changed, though, with current New York Mayor Bill de Blasio winning election on a platform that opposed Klein/Rhee-style school closures and ratings of schools. And some politicians, including Rhee’s own husband, are shying away from even using the phrase “education reform.”
At the same time, others are taking up Rhee’s mantle. Former CNN anchor Campbell Brown has formed an organization that is fighting teacher tenure laws, among other goals.
If Rhee does step back from the spotlight, who will be the new face of education reform? And what impact will that new leader have on changes throughout the country and here in DC?
Top image: Photo by Commonwealth Club on Flickr.