re: #545 kirkspencer

The primary reason for Rhee’s failure is the same problem that besets all education reformers: part of the compensation package for teaching is job security, which is what allows the state to pay teachers less than they would probably be able to earn in other jobs.

So you can’t just attack job security when you don’t replace it with something equally valuable (say a pay hike). People in the private sector say “but my job has no security”, but the point is that they knew that going in, and made their decision based on that knowledge.

The secondary reason is that she has always come across as a somewhat abrasive personality*. I don’t get the impression that she made any friends on the ground.

* Edited for family-friendliness.