A month ago we started our top ten countdown and now we’re into “twenty ten.” We’ve finally arrived at our #1 most influential Korean-American(s) for 2009. Naturally the most influential people in our lives outside of our parents and friends are the educators, and they touch the lives of many young people. Margaret Rhee and Jim Yong Kim share the top spot as they find themselves in very distinguished positions: Margaret Rhee is the chancellor of the Washington D.C. public school system and Dr. Jim Yong Kim is the newly minted president of Dartmouth College.
Dr. Jim Yong Kim became the first Korean-American to head up an American university and it happens to be Dartmouth College of the Ivy League. Dr. Kim came to the United States at the age of five, living in the middle of Iowa. Imagine being the only Korean in the Iowa in the 60′s. It sure ain’t Los Angeles of today. Of course he studied hard but he also was a student athlete in high school. Fast forward to today and after a distinguished career in medicine, at the World Health Organization, and at Harvard, Dr. Kim now heads up Dartmouth College. He is leading one of the elite universities and therefore molding the lives of our future generation.
Michelle Rhee is controversial but an innovator because she’s defying the status quo within the Washington D.C. educational system. Prior to arrival, the metrics were abysmal with kids failing out of the system and not coming close to meeting national standards. Ms. Rhee arrived on a mission to not simply reform but to put a jolt into the system by taking a radical approach with teacher evaluations and compensation. It remains to be seen if her changes are effective but she is influencing the direction of not only the Washington D.C. students under her leadership but her approach could radically influence other school systems if they’re found effective.
Michelle Rhee appeared on CNN’s Anderson Coopers 360 this past week. AC chose Michelle Rhee because she’s at the forefront of change and innovation within the educational system.
What are the odds that you thought Michelle Rhee, the chancellor of the Washington D.C. school districts, would be engaged to ex-NBA player Kevin Johnson. You could think of a 1,000 people before you arrived at Kevin Johnson as the one who would sway Michelle Rhee’s heart. At least 1,000 people in the D.C. area because KJ lives on the west coast. If you don’t remember, he was the all-star point guard with the Phoenix Suns.
It had been reported that the two had held hands in public. Doesn’t this sound like high school gossip?
But the divorced mother of two couldn’t hide a shiny ring on her finger from theWashington Post’s Reliable Source Wednesday night, and eventually confirmed that she was engaged to KJ. Rhee told the Post she’s not joining her new love out in California anytime soon.
“… Rhee told us she’s not leaving D.C. They plan on a long engagement — no wedding date set, and none envisioned in the near term — and will keep this a commuter relationship for a while.”
Michelle Rhee is the lighting bolt chancellor of the Washington D.C. school district and she’s made a lot of press lately because she let go a handful of teachers last month. She’s been viewed as controversial and she’s approaching her second anniversary on the job. History will be the judge of her work but what can be said is that prior to her arrival, the school district was an abysmal failure and the people who were truly hurt by this were the children who were educated in that school district. Obviously the status quo could no longer be acceptable and she’s made some clear and dramatic changes. Let’s hope that we start seeing the results for the sake of these kids.
So what does she think as she enters deeper into her administration? The Washington Post conducted a video interview of her and asked how things have progressed.
Michelle Rhee is the young chancellor of the Washington D.C. Public Schools and she’s out to reform one of the worst public school systems in the country. She calls the status of the current system “a crime.” She’s taking on one of the biggest challenges out there and her approach has been scrutinized and criticized but when the status quo has failed the children miserably, why not pursue an unconventional path. Michelle was featured in this weekend’s Washington Post and she shares insights about her approach to reforming the school system that she is tasked to oversee and her approach to leadership.
The two insights she gives into leadership is to lead from the front and to better communicate. What does leading from the front mean? Don’t get so mired in bureaucracy and get out front and show a vision and bring people to where you are. And secondly, proactive communication is critical to make sure the message is clear. She’s a woman of extreme candor and this will naturally cause friction, but she continues to lead out in front.
This morning on the Today Show, a preview was shown of a USA Network’s new documentary series called Tom Brokaw Presents American Character Along Higway 50. The legenedary journalists travels highway 50 from the east coast to the west coast to profile the changing faces and times of America. To preview the show which starts in January, Michelle Rhee was the featured profile. She is the intrepid educator who is attempting to radically change the Washington D.C. school system. Ms. Rhee is a 38 year old single mom who is a Korean-American from Ohio that took the job of chancellor of the D.C. school system, which is predominantly African-American, without having any formal training of leading a single school. Let’s just say she made a huge splash upon her arrival.
The Korean-American single mom doesn’t consider herself a politician, isn’t interested in the media, and dodges the insults (and objects) hurled at her by irate parents with aplomb. Because what matters most to Rhee isn’t popularity or taking the easy road – it’s helping improve the educational system for the 46,000 students in her district, the kids who have for so long been overlooked and underserved by the politicians and power brokers with whom they share a city.
Raised in Toledo, OH by South Korean parents, Rhee was a high-achieving child, and was encouraged to pursue a career in medicine (her father was a doctor) or law. But upon graduating from Cornell, Rhee instead began a career in education, as a second-grade teacher in one of the lowest-performing schools in Baltimore. It was an eye-opening expereince for Rhee, who says that the experence “has shaped every single day of my life since then.” She went on to found the New Teacher Project in 1997, a nonprofit organization devoted to recruiting better teachers for inner-city schools, and it was there that she caight the eye of new Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who appointed her as chancellor in 2007.
Rhee attracted attention from the outset with an action plan that included the firing of many district teachers and principals, the closing of two dozen underperforming schools, the proposal of a merit-based pay contract for Washington, D.C. teachers, and “Capital Gains,” a cash incentive program that provides cash rewards to middle schoolers with good records of attendance, behavior and performance. Rhee’s policies haven’t always been popular, but her hard work, determination, refusal to accept the status quo and dedication to overhauling the floundering Washington, D.C. public school system have proven that Rhee is a fearless (and tireless) advocate for students, and a true American Character.
What is most amazing about her story is not how she surprisingly came into her role, but how averse people are to change. She isn’t the status quo because the status quo was failing the most important constinuents: the children who attend D.C. public schools. People previous to her should have been ashamed at their results and sometimes radical thinking is what’s needed to right the ship.
For the video preview of Michelle Rhee, go to the USA Network>
KASCON 23 at UPenn was a great success. There was definitely a lot of excitement this year and this was evident by the larger than expected turnout. I was also inspired by the many Korean-Americans who came to speak and share their experiences and wisdom. When I was back in college during the early 90s, there weren’t to many Korean-Americans who were going beyond traditional professions (i.e., doctor, lawyer, etc.). However, today there are many second generation Korean-Americans who are succeeding in many areas of work that we probably thought was not possible from entertainment to politics. We met inspiring people like Becky Lee, James Sun, Ted Chung, Patty Kim, Michelle Rhee and many more. Take a look at the video below and experience a little bit of KASCON 23.
The Chosun Ilbo makes note of how many Korean-Americans have influenced President Obama. Here’s a quick roster of influential Korean-Americans in the Obama administration:
Eugene Kang – Special Assistant to President Obama – holder of his calender. The only one aboard Air Force One who is of Korean descent and also named one of President Obama’s 52 most trusted people according to the New York Times.
Harold Hongju Koh – Dean of Yale Law School and soon to be top legal adviser to the state department. Also speculated to be a possible Supreme Court nominee – could be the first official Asian-American nominee.
Michelle Rhee – Chancellor of the DC public school system who is subtly referenced by President Obama for her radical reforms.
Other peeps in the administration: Christopher Kang, Elizabeth Kim, Helen Hong, Anna Kim
Ms. Rhee, 39, who became Washington’s sixth school superintendent in 10 years, has ousted one-third of the district’s principals, shaken up the system, created untold enemies, improved test scores, and — more than almost anyone else — dared to talk openly about the need to replace ineffective teachers.
Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times writes an Op-Ed on Ms. Rhee’s ambition to transform the most dysfunctional school district in America to something much higher. Many have opposed her efforts but that is inevitable when one challenges the status quo. Her directness has been misinterpreted as being abrasive but when in reality, she’s simply not sugarcoating the facts: The Washington D.C. school system is failing their students.
“D.C. is known as the most dysfunctional and worst-performing school district in the country,” she said, noting that the failures are particularly acute for poor students and members of minority groups. A black child from a low-income family in Washington enters kindergarten at the same level as a comparable child in New York City but is two years behind by the fourth grade, she said. Read more>
Just returned from Philly after having met and interviewed a good number of speakers at KASCON. What a great event for so many Korean-American college students to hear up close about the lives of Michelle Rhee and many other successful folks. We’ll have a KASCON video feature soon so more to come. Congratulations to the organizers of KASCON.
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Dr. Jim Yong Kim became the first Korean-American to head up an American university and it happens to be Dartmouth College of the Ivy League. Dr. Kim came to the United States at the age of five, living in the middle of Iowa. Imagine being the only Korean in the Iowa in the 60′s. It sure ain’t Los Angeles of today. Of course he studied hard but he also was a student athlete in high school. Fast forward to today and after a distinguished career in medicine, at the World Health Organization, and at Harvard, Dr. Kim now heads up Dartmouth College. He is leading one of the elite universities and therefore molding the lives of our future generation.
Michelle Rhee is controversial but an innovator because she’s defying the status quo within the Washington D.C. educational system. Prior to arrival, the metrics were abysmal with kids failing out of the system and not coming close to meeting national standards. Ms. Rhee arrived on a mission to not simply reform but to put a jolt into the system by taking a radical approach with teacher evaluations and compensation. It remains to be seen if her changes are effective but she is influencing the direction of not only the Washington D.C. students under her leadership but her approach could radically influence other school systems if they’re found effective.
