Dive Brief:
- A Salon article written by Education Opportunity Network Director Jeff Bryant asserts Michelle Rhee's time in the education reform spotlight may be on the wane, and that journalist-turned-activist Campbell Brown appears to be swooping in.
- Bryant argues that support for Rhee is on the decline and her StudentsFirst organization is struggling, and he sees the "blame teachers first" crowd looking for a new spokesperson.
- Brown — who launched Partnership for Educational Justice, an organization that recently filed a lawsuit in New York mirroring the claims of California's Vergara case — appears to be primed for the position, according to Bryant.
Dive Insight:
"With Rhee and StudentsFirst sinking under the weight of over-promises, under-performance, and unproven practices, the Blame Teachers First crowd is now eagerly promoting Campbell Brown," Bryant writes before listing ways in which Brown aligns herself with many of Rhee's beliefs, as well as potential financial and relationship connections between the two.
Ultimately, Bryant ends his piece saying, "...with Brown as the new figurehead of the Blame Teachers First campaign, proponents may feel that a fresh face on a stale product is all they need to win over acceptance of their unfounded ideas. Don’t buy it."