washington dc had just inaugurated a new mayor, adrian fenty. he had won a landslide election and promised to fix the district's abysmal school system. >> the lack of real opportunity for young people drives our unemployment rate, it drives our crime rate, and we can't have that. this is the nation's capitol of the united states of america. we shouldn't have the worst school system. we should have the best. >> are you ready? all right. >> almost everyone expected fenty to choose a seasoned veteran to turn the schools around, but he chose a virtual unknown. >> good mornin >> rhee began by introducing herself to students... >> i'm excited to be here today. >> ...and teachers, giving them a glimpse of her forthright style. >> i am michelle rhee. i am the new chancellor of the dc public schools. and just in case there was any confusion, i am in fact korean, i am 37 years old, and, no, i have never run a school district before. >> although rhee had never run a school district, she had worked in school reform for ten years, and warned fenty that sweep

when mayor adrian fenty was elected, i remember that you, michelle rhee, and mayor fenty were all under 40. >> i am 45. i remember the headlines. the press. i remember there was an article in "the washington post." a 36-year-old mayor and a 39- year-old police chief. the bottom line was, do not blow it. a lot of pressure. job? >> i had been on 17 years at the time. i was the district commander in charge of the fourth district. i was one of the youngest district commanders in the city. adrian took over and he was just like he was at the mayor -- as the mayor. he was big on accountability. we had a lot of the same personality traits in terms of really focusing on accountability and responsiveness. we worked very well together. i did not see him after i left the fourth district and went to special operations. not for a couple years. when he was running for mayor, he visited a couple times. i think it was the sheer fact that adrian knew how i police. he knew how i managed. he knew my priorities were similar to his. i said, you will take a huge hit if you appoint me. i am 39-years old. i wou