Squidoo: Michelle Rhee and HIV/AIDS in DC

Check out the latest Squidoo page which looks at Michelle Rhee and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in DC. As the head of DC Public Schools (DCPS), Michelle Rhee plays an important role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in DC. Rhee oversees the DCPS HIV/AIDS Program. Be sure to check out the new page at www.squidoo.com/michellerhee/.

Michelle Rhee at Gertrude Stein Democrats Meeting

There is an article about the new chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), Michelle Rhee appearing at a recent Gertrude Stein Democrats meeting in Metroweekly. I was there, and I asked Michelle Rhee two questions about the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

In responding, Rhee first had to seek clarification from her aide on whether or not the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was under her jurisdiction. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed she was unfamiliar with the YRBS, which is crucial to understanding the health and well being of DC school students (including but not limited to HIV/AIDS).

Can Rhee have a measurable impact on the number of students who take weapons in our schools? Can Rhee have a measurable impact on the number of students who report being harrassed or threatened in our schools? Can Rhee in any way impact the number of students who smoke cigarattes or who have been offerred or sold illegal drugs on school grounds? All these questions are part of the Youth Risk Behavior, and two years from now, we will be comparing the 2007 YRBS data with the 2009 YRBS data to understand Rhee's impact in her first two school years.

There are other tools to measure whether or not Rhee can improve the academic performance of school students, but the YRBS is the most important tool to understand whether or not Rhee can impact the health & safety of our students. If she is unfamiliar with the baseline data we are going to be using to evaluate her progress, I find that a little concerning.

Still, as Adam Tenner stated in the article, "For youth in D.C., it's incumbent on us to extend the chancellor as much trust as we can, until she gives us reason not to."

I look forward to working with Michelle Rhee, and hope we can achieve measurable improvements in the health and safety of our students in the District.

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If you want to read more about the meeting and other issues raised, click here to read the Metro Weekly article. If you would like to learn more about the YRBS, please come to the ACTION lunch next month where Dr. Clark will be speaking on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.