<div style="text-align: center;"><object width="512" height="400" data="http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/worldwide/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></object></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> The Spectator&rsquo;s Schools Revolution conference has just ended with an interesting, and ominous Question and Answer with the former Chancellor of Washington DC&rsquo;s schools, Michelle Rhee.&nbsp; Rhee&nbsp;is an enemy of&nbsp;teaching unions, even those over here (as you can see in the video above).&nbsp;As Chancellor, Rhee threw out the old system of rewarding teachers based on their seniority&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;as far as she was concerned they should be based on their quality.&nbsp;When she first became chancellor in 2007, 92&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of students in Washington DC were failing to meet their expected grade, yet 98&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of teachers were told they were doing an excellent job. Rhee announced that she was going to grade teachers based on their pupil&rsquo;s progress. Those who failed to deliver for their pupils quickly found themselves out of work.&nbsp;At the same time, Rhee rewarded those who delivered by paying the best teachers more money (up to twice the normal pay). As far as Rhee is concerned, nothing short of a revolution in political attitudes to education will reverse the decline in educational standards,&nbsp;&lsquo;We need policies based on kind of education we would want for our own children.&rsquo;&nbsp;Rhee had a simple policy, she would dismiss any teacher and headmaster who she didn&rsquo;t think was up to the job of teaching her own children, an attitude apparently alien to most of her critics. A few years ago, a heckler demanded she reinstate the 266 poor-performing teachers she laid off during her time as Chancellor. Rhee agreed to do so&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;but only if he was willing to allow his children to be educated by one of these teachers.&nbsp;&lsquo;Needless to say he didn&rsquo;t take me up on my offer.&rsquo; While Rhee&rsquo;s story doesn&rsquo;t have a happy ending (she was forced to step down after the 2010 Mayoral elections) her message is uplifting to all supporters of educational reform: vested interests can be beaten. &nbsp;

Oliver Lewis

Rhee’s calls for reform