Rhee/D.C. Cheating Memo Leaked - But Will It Lead To A REAL Investigation Of Rhee's DCPS Tenure?

Someone leaked a memo from outside data consultant to Michelle Rhee that informed her that widespread cheating on the high stakes tests in the DC school system had taken place.

John Merrow was the recipient of that leaked memo and went public with it last night:

Michelle A. Rhee, America’s most famous school reformer, was fully aware of the extent of the problem when she glossed over what appeared to be widespread cheating during her first year as Schools Chancellor in Washington, DC.  A long-buried confidential memo from her outside data consultant suggests that the problem was far more serious than kids copying off other kids’ answer sheets.  (“191 teachers representing 70 schools”).  Twice in just four pages the consultant suggests that Rhee’s own principals, some of whom she had hired, may have been responsible (“Could the erasures in some cases have been done by someone other than the students and the teachers?”).

Merrow reports there is a "reliable witness" who says Michelle Rhee, then chancellor of the DCPS, discussed the memo with her deputy chancellor (now the current DCPS chancellor) Kaya Henderson:

The rash of “wrong to right” (WTR) erasures was first noticed by the DC official in charge of testing, who, after consulting with the test-maker, asked Rhee to investigate, in November, 2008.  Through her data chief,  Rhee turned to Dr. Fay G. “Sandy” Sanford for outside analysis.

I have a copy of the memo[2] and have confirmed its authenticity with two highly placed and reputable sources. The anonymous source is in DCPS; the other is DC Inspector General Charles Willoughby. A reliable source has confirmed that Rhee and Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson discussed the memo in staff gatherings. Sanford came to Washington to present his findings in late January, 2009, after which he wrote his memo.

In response to my request for comment, Rhee issued the following careful statement:  “As chancellor I received countless reports, memoranda and presentations. I don’t recall receiving a report from Sandy Sanford regarding erasure data from the DC CAS, but I’m pleased, as has been previously reported, that both inspectors general (DOE and DCPS) reviewed the memo and confirmed my belief that there was no wide spread cheating.” After receiving this statement, I sent her the memo; her spokesman responded by saying that she stood by her earlier statement.

Chancellor Henderson did not respond to my request for a response.

Sanford wanted the memo to be kept confidential. At the top and bottom of each page he wrote “Sensitive Information–Treat as Confidential,” and he urged, “Don’t make hard copies and leave them around.” (The memo.)

The gist of his message: the many ‘wrong to right’ erasures on the students’ answer sheets suggested widespread cheating by adults.

This "smoking gun" memo that shows Rhee, Henderson and other DCPS brass knew of the allegations of widespread cheating in DCPS and did nothing to investigate them shows us why there needs to be an independent, Atlanta-style investigation of Rhee's tenure at DCPS.

But who's going to call for that investigation?

The education reform establishment long ago hitched their wagons to the Rhee wagon train.

They're not calling for an investigation.

The Obama administration has close ties to Rhee and Arne Duncan in particular has a conflict of interest in the matter.

There is no way you're going to get the USDOE to conduct an independent investigation of Rhee and DCPS.

And those in power in the DC municipal government don't seem too interested in learning the truth either.

So far, we have had the USA Today investigation which showed just how many red flags are up over the test scores during Rhee's reign.

Then we had the Frontline investigation wherein a former DCPS prinicipal said she witnessed adults tampering with students' tests at a school that had been flagged by USA Today for an inordinate amount of wrong to right erasures.

Now we have the memo from the outside data consultant telling Rhee and Henderson that something was indeed funky throughout the system and a witness saying Rhee and Henderson discussed this memo at staff meetings.

Yet Rhee denies she had knowledge of the memo and Henderson refuses to respond to questions about it.

Will Rhee and Henderson continue to get help from the Obama administration, the education reform community and even the media in their stonewalling of this scandal?

So far, it seems it doesn't matter what evidence emerges about Rhee - she seems to be impervious to the scandal.

Must be nice to made of this kind of teflon, have such great friends in high places and be so central to the corporate education reform narrative that nothing can happen to you.