Kaya Henderson: The Superintendent
Marvin Joseph / The Washington Post
Michelle Rhee shook things up before she got booted out of Washington. Henderson, Rhee’s deputy, was appointed schools chancellor by the next mayor and has kept the reform agenda moving forward — albeit with less bombast. She’s lower key than Rhee, but anyone who doesn’t think Henderson is as committed to reform as her old boss has never met her. 2012 finds Henderson overseeing an avant-garde teacher evaluation system, dealing with a cheating scandal, facing intense competition from public charter schools and serving a mayor distracted by a host of political problems of his own. How much she achieves matters not only because of Rhee’s high profile in the education world but because Washington is Congress’ backyard, and what happens with the city’s schools shapes perceptions and ideas about national education policy.
Rotherham, a co-founder and partner at the nonprofit Bellwether Education, writes the blog
Eduwonk. The views expressed are solely his own.
Next: John Hunter: The Inspiration
John Hunter: The Inspiration
Diane Bondareff / NBC / NBC NewsWire / AP
Hunter, an elementary-school teacher, is a legend in his home state of Virginia, where the World Peace Game he designed in 1978 allows fourth-graders to game out various scenarios of global doom or global cooperation. The game, which is played on a huge multi-level board and is a bit like an analog version of The Sims, got traction nationally when Charlottesville-based filmmaker Chris Farina turned it into a documentary film that had many screenings last year and is still making the rounds at film festivals. As World Peace and Other Fourth-Grade Achievements has quietly circulated in the education world, Hunter has given TED talks and addressed audiences around the country about the game’s power to inspire students and teachers. The film, which emphasizes not only children’s optimism, but also the game’s power to teach collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, speaks to a lot of people in education. When I moderated a screening at Harvard last year, several audience members were moved to tears. The film should see wider distribution in 2012, and Hunter has started a foundation to advance the work behind the World Peace Game and hopefully spawn high-quality imitators.
Rotherham, a co-founder and partner at the nonprofit Bellwether Education, writes the blog
Eduwonk. The views expressed are solely his own.
Next: Ariela Rozman: The Operator
