do we know if what a school chancellor like michelle rhee is doing -- do we know if it's working? >> reporter: there is one piece of solid evidence. there is a national test called the national assessment of educational progress or nape and that's the gold standard, gwen, and only four states and the district of columbia showed significant gains in fourth and eighth grade math on the results that came out in fall, that's pretty remarkable and it happened on her watch. on the other hand, you would have to say that strife is up and morale is down. but in terms of the economic gains, they are there. >> ifill: what can other school systems read into what rhee has gone wrong and what has worked and what hasn't worked? >> reporter: she has had a significant impact. she set out saying she wanted to make a difference nationally and she's had i a significant impact in at least three ways. for one, the conversation about linking teacher pay to student performance is now in the air -- i mean, that's even part of the federal effort called race to the top, and michelle rhee has pushed that for

that raises a question: is michelle rhee trying to do too much, too fast? >> the time for dramatic change begins today. >> reporter: this man doesn't think so. washington's mayor, adrian fenty hired her. >> the person who says that they're going to come in, shake things up, change the system, challenge the status quo, that's exactly what i want, because i don't want to be mayor of the >> reporter: rhee wasted no time getting started. weeks before the first day of school, she discovered thousands of textbooks and supplies - not in classrooms where they belonged, but gathering dust in a warehouse. she got them delivered to schools in time for opening day, and then went after the cause of the problem, the district's central office, long criticized for its inefficiency. rhee asked the city council to pass a law giving her the power to fire central office employees at will. >> for children at the classroom level. >> reporter: but pushback against rhee's proposal was immediate. at city council hearings, five labor unions spoke against the plan. >> i come before y

don't give up. >> reporter: for now michelle rhee's plans are on hold. the city council expects to vote soon on her request for greater control. next up? negotiations with the teachers' union. >> ifill: that was back in 2007. since then, the city council did in fact give michelle rhee more power over the school system but rhee and the teachers' union have still not reached a deal on a new contract. and the chancellor decided to remove the principal of anacostia high school one of several dozen she eventually replaced. in john's next installment he looks at rhee's plans to close some schools and early resistance to that. >> brown: the major developments of the day. senate democrats won a key procedural vote to clear the way for approving their health care reform bill by christmas. much of the east coast struggled back to life after a weekend blizzard paralyzed state after state with record snow. the newshour is always online . hari sreenivasan in our news room previews what's their. >> sreenivasan: on our website tonight more from ray on the outcome of th

since then, e city council did in ft give michelle rhee more power over the school syst but rhee and the teachers' ion have still not reached a deal on a new contract d the chancellor decided to remove the principalf anacostia high schl one of several dozen she evenally replaced. in john's next installnt he looks at rhee's plans tolose some schoolsnd early resistance to that. >> bwn: the major developmentsf the day. senateemocrats won a key procedural vote to car the way for approving their alth care reform bill by christs. much of the ea coast struggled ba to life after a weekend blizzard paralyz state ter state with record snow. the nehour is always online . hari sreenivan in our news ro previews what's their. >> sreenasan: on our website tonight mo from ray on the outcome of the climate summi and whatappens next. extend excerpts of margaret warner's intervi with the former iranian revolutionary guard meer. a behi the scenes blog post from newshour education correspondent john merw about changes afoot in u.s. schools and a special featur out how health care reform could affecteople

three year tonight, we goack to the beginning of a n school year-- the fallf 2008-- when chancell michelle rhee pushed a propal that attracted national attenon, on the questi of teacher pay and perfmance. >> the hardest job i er had d the hardest job in my mind that existis being a teacher in thelassroom every single day. >> in gust, three days before sool is opened in washington, d.c.chancellor michelle li dressed th city's 4,000 teaers and principa. >> we are going to chae thface of public education in this country. >> reporter: ihad been only 14 months since t rookieuperintendent acpted the job of turning around o of the worst blic school districts in the cotry. >> good moing. >>eporter: and in her whirlwind rst year she closed3 schools, replaced 58 princals and assistant principals, firenearly 17% ofer central office, and begaa process known as restructuring in 27 schos that hadailed to make sufficient academic progress. chelle's next target? teachers. >>f we have ineffective teachers in the assroom, thgoal is to not have th inhe classroom any longer. >> reporter:ust 12% of washington's 8th

tonight, we go back to the beginning of a new school year-- the fall of 2008-- when chancellor michelle rhee pushed a proposal that attracted national attention, on the question of teacher pay and performance. >> the hardest job i ever had and the hardest job in my mind that exists is being a teacher in the classroom every single day. >> in august, three days before school is opened in washington, d.c., chancellor michelle li addressed the city's 4,000 teachers and principals. >> we are going to change the face of public education in this country. >> reporter: it had been only 14 months since the rookie superintendent accepted the job of turning around one of the worst public school districts in the country. >> good morning. >> reporter: and in her whirlwind first year she closed 23 schools, replaced 58 principals and assistant principals, fired nearly 17% of her central office, and began a process known as restructuring in 27 schools that had failed to make sufficient academic progress. michelle's next target? teachers. >> if we have ineffective teachers in the classroom, the goal is to not

city with great problems, but there are some shining lights on the horizon, and one of them is michelle rhee, chance i don't remember of the public school system in the district of columbia. michelle is an amazing story of a young woman who was attending cornell university and she decided when she graduated to consign sign up-- --sign up for teach for america. she taught in baltimore, took a hopeless classroom situation and in two years turned it around. kids from the nation had test scores nobody dream of because of michelle's skill. brought nontraditional teachers into the teaching classroom. it is a reform which will move us toward pay-for-performance where those teachers who do a good job and improve test scores arare brie rewarded. the results are starting to show. this week in the district of columbia, they reported math scores that showed dramatic improvements compared to cities around the nation. she has another responsibility. 45,000 kids are in the public schools, 28,000 are in the charter schools. the chart schools have to match the performance of the public schools or improve upo