Michelle Rhee
| Michelle Rhee | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Former CEO and Founder |
| Role: | StudentsFirst |
| Location: | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Education: | •Cornell University •Harvard University |
Michelle Rhee is a former educator and education activist. She founded and served as the CEO of two nonprofit organizations, StudentsFirst and The New Teacher Project.[1] Rhee also served as chancellor of Washington, D.C. schools from 2007 to 2010.[1] As of January 2026, Rhee worked as a venture partner at Equal Opportunity Ventures.[1]
Biography
Rhee received a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1992 and a master's degree from Harvard University in 1997.[1]
From 1992 to 1995, Rhee worked as a third-grade Teach for America (TFA) corps member in Harlem Park Community School in Baltimore City, Maryland. Rhee said her first year teaching was "rough going," and that she had difficulty controlling her classroom.[2] According to Washingtonian, student test scores dropped in her first year of teaching, and Rhee spent the summer working on ways to improve lesson plans and involve her students in the achievement process.[2] She also spent time speaking to both parents and community leaders, stating that the time spent doing homework is better than "hanging out, playing video games, or watching television."[2] It was successful, and her test scores improved significantly in the following second and third years.[2]
Work and activities
The New Teacher Project
Rhee founded and began serving as the CEO of the nonprofit organization The New Teacher Project in 1997.[1] The organization's goal is to aid urban school districts and states to recruit and train new teachers, provide capable staff to struggling schools and retain teachers who have improved student achievement.[3] She stepped down as CEO in 2007.[1]
Chancellor of Washington D.C. Schools
In 2007, Rhee was offered the position of D.C. chancellor by newly elected mayor Adrian Fenty. Rhee emphasized top-down accountability and stressed what she deemed to be the importance of performing well on standardized testing. In her first year as chancellor, Rhee closed 23 schools, fired 36 principals and cut staff by 15%. Rhee stated it was necessary because only 12% of the District's eighth graders were proficient in reading, and only 8 percent in math.[4]
StudentsFirst
On Dec. 6, 2010, Rhee announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show that she was setting up StudentsFirst, an organization focused on reforming school districts one community at a time. With the hope of getting one million members and raising $1 billion for public schools, Rhee stated, "I'm going to do something different. I am going to start a revolution. I'm going to start a movement in this country on behalf of the nation's children."[5] StudentsFirst backed 105 candidates in the 2012 elections, 90 of whom were Republicans. Of the 105 candidates supported, 86 won.[6] On Aug. 13, 2014, Rhee announced her intention to step down as CEO of StudentsFirst.[1]
St. Hope Public Schools
On Aug. 13, 2014, Rhee announced her intention to step down as CEO of StudentsFirst.[7] She also announced her new position as board chair for St. Hope Public Schools, which is a Sacramento-based charter school system that enrolls approximately 1,800 K-12 students. The St. Hope system was founded by Rhee's husband, Kevin Johnson[8]
Possible Trump appointment
| Possible Trump appointee (first term) |
|---|
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| During the 2016 presidential transition of power, Rhee was reported to be in consideration for a high-level appointment in Donald Trump's (R) first term. |
Full list of possible appointees |
See also: Donald Trump's Cabinet, 2025-2026 |
During the period of transition between the Obama and Trump administrations, Rhee was reported to be in consideration for a high-level appointment in the Trump administration. She had been considered for the role of Secretary of Education.[9] Rhee met with Trump on Nov. 19, 2016.[10]
Notable endorsements
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See also
- Donald Trump potential high-level administration appointments
- StudentsFirst
- Education influencers
- Public education in the District of Columbia
- Education policy project
- Education policy in the United States
- Public education in the United States
External links
- StudentsFirst
- The New Teacher Project
- Radical: Fighting to Put Students First, by Michelle Rhee
- The Bee Eater, a biography of Michelle Rhee
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 LinkedIn, "Michelle Rhee," accessed January 6, 2026
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Washingtonian, "Can Michelle Rhee Save DC Schools?" September 1, 2007
- ↑ TNTP, "About TNTP," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ CNN, "'100 mph' school chief seeks 'radical changes'," September 9, 2008
- ↑ Oprah, "Michelle Rhee's Big Announcement," December 6, 2010
- ↑ Salon, "Michelle Rhee’s right turn," November 17, 2012
- ↑ POLITICO, "Michelle Rhee drops out of school group," August 13, 2014
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "St. Hope taps Michelle Rhee as board chair, removes superintendent," August 1, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedPOLITICOTRANSITION - ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson visits Trump during Michelle Rhee’s cabinet interview," accessed November 22, 2016
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