1

khee-a||ty Check: 1he Ia||ure of Students I|rst

Cverv|ew: A 8ad Investment

Slnce lLs launch Lwo years ago, SLudenLsllrsL has made bold predlcLlons abouL Lhe organlzaLlon's lmpacL
on educaLlon pollcy, and whaL lL wlll accompllsh across Lhe counLry.

1hls ls Lhe flrsL reporL of lLs klnd Lo examlne wheLher Lhls educaLlon advocacy group founded by Mlchelle
8hee has made progress Loward lLs key goals. CaLhered here for Lhe flrsL Llme ls a body of evldence,
daLa, and analysls showlng LhaL SLudenLs llrsL has glven lLs donors and supporLers a poor reLurn on Lhelr
lnvesLmenL.

SLudenLsllrsL has falled Lo llve up Lo expecLaLlons ln four maln areas: fundralslng, leadershlp, elecLoral
pollLlcs, and grassrooLs organlzlng. 1hese fallures are descrlbed ln deLall below. A naLlonal educaLlon
advocacy group wlLh such a Lrack record of lneffecLlveness ls noL whaL 8hee's lnvesLors slgned up for.


key I|nd|ngs: Where Students I|rst nas Ia||ed the Most

Iundra|s|ng:

o SLudenLs llrsL promlsed Lo ralse $1 bllllon naLlonally, buL afLer endurlng lagglng fundralslng,
Lhe organlzaLlon now clalms Lo be a $100 mllllon Lo $130 mllllon operaLlon.
o SLudenLs llrsL sald lL would ralse $10 mllllon a year for flve years ln new ?ork ClLy Lo bulld on
Mayor 8loomberg's legacy, buL a year afLer openlng, has yeL Lo ralse Lhe flrsL $10 mllllon.

Leadersh|p:

o 8hee's 2006 l8S appllcaLlon for Lax-exempL sLaLus, where she lald Lhe groundwork for
SLudenLs llrsL, shows amblLlous hlrlng plans, wlLh pro[ecLlons for 260 LoLal employees.
1
8uL
as of !anuary 2013, SLudenLs llrsL employed only 124 people, less Lhan half Lhe pro[ecLed
number.
2


o SLudenLs llrsL has losL many Lop uemocraLlc sLaffers-lncludlng former 8loomberg lobbylsL
Mlcah Lasher, former Cbama campalgn spokesperson Parl Sevugan, as well as xlmena
ParLsock, Ana Pall, umlLrl Mehlhorn, and Mlke hllllps. Several of Lhese uemocraLs fled [usL
before 8epubllcan khalll 8yrd was hlred as SLudenLsllrsL's new naLlonal presldenL.


1
hLLp://www.charlLlesnys.com/8eglsLrySearch/show_deLalls.[sp?ld=[9239823L-uCAl-466l-8C88-788l37u73804}
See page 33 of 'l8S 1ax-LxempL appllcaLlon'
2
hLLp://arLlcles.washlngLonposL.com/2013-01-12/local/36323347_1_mlchelle-rhee-scapegoaL-Leachers-weak-
Leachers/2
231
2011
According to the
document cited in
this report,
Michelle Rhee
Signed the IRS
Tax-Exempt
Application Form
on February
22nd, 2011, not in
2006. [Charities
NYS, Accessed
5/7/13]
According to the IRS Tax-Exempt Application cited in
this report, StudentsFirst Had Projected Hiring 231
Employees, Not 260. [Charities NYS, Accessed 5/7/13]
Which makes your math wrong.
Misspelling - StudentsFirst
- Boring, trite phrases
- Inaccurate information
- Failure to back up claims with
proper citations
Kahlil Byrd
If youre going to call someone out at least Google
the spelling of their name.
Repetitive
And again
Dude...its one word.
and here...and here.
per
one
I give up...
F


2

1he|r efforts to |nf|uence po||t|ca| races across the
country have a|so fa||en short of the mark.


L|ectora| o||t|cs:

o SLudenLs llrsL clalms Lo be successful ln elecLoral campalgns, buL Lhelr wlns are based
almosL enLlrely on endorslng ln safe 8epubllcan lncumbenL dlsLlrcLs. ln conLesLed elecLlons,
Lhelr Lrack record ls one of fallure-lncludlng ln Callfornla school board elecLlons and a
8rldgeporL, C1 balloL lnlLlaLlve.

Grassroots Crgan|z|ng:

o SLudenLs llrsL clalms Lo be bulldlng a grassrooLs movemenL, buL has falled Lo generaLe
grassrooLs supporL, desplLe hlrlng communlLy organlzers. 1op educaLlon pollcy leaders
surveyed agree LhaL SLudenL llrsL ls one of Lhe leasL effecLlve educaLlon advocacy
organlzaLlons ln Lhe counLry.


A 1rack kecord of Ineffect|veness

SLudenLsllrsL launched wlLh Lhe goal of ralslng one bllllon dollars over flve years.
3
1haL goal seems Lo
have been more hype Lhan reallLy: Lhe organlzaLlon's presldenL ls on-record alLernaLely clalmlng Lo have
$130 mllllon ln commlLmenLs Lhrough 2016,
4
and sLaLlng LhaL SLudenLsllrsL ls a $100 mllllon efforL."
3


lL ls dlfflculL Lo know exacLly whaL Lhe SLudenLsllrsL budgeL ls, slnce Lhe organlzaLlon ls enLlrely opaque
abouL Lhe sources of Lhelr fundlng.
6
WhaLever Lhe real flgures are, lL appears LhaL SLudenLsllrsL has noL
been able Lo ralse Lhe funds Lhey anLlclpaLed ralslng aL Lhelr launch.

8uL Lhelr general lneffecLlveness goes beyond fundralslng. 1helr efforLs Lo lnfluence pollLlcal races
across Lhe counLry have also fallen shorL, and slgnal Lhe group's sLeady progresslon Lowards excluslve
parLlsan supporL for 8epubllcans.

SLudenLsllrsL llkes Lo LouL an
80 success raLe ln Lhe 2012
general elecLlon.
7
Whlle
Lrue, Lhe success raLe ls largely Lhe resulL of Lhe organlzaLlon's backlng of safe 8epubllcan lncumbenLs ln
Malne, Mlchlgan, ennsylvanla and Ceorgla.


3
hLLp://www.hufflngLonposL.com/2012/06/23/correcLed-naLlonal-educaL_n_1626033.hLml
4
hLLp://arLlcles.washlngLonposL.com/2013-01-12/local/36323347_1_mlchelle-rhee-scapegoaL-Leachers-weak-
Leachers/2
3
hLLp://www.llnkedln.com/ln/kahlllbyrd
6
hLLp://arLlcles.chlcagoLrlbune.com/2012-03-13/news/sns-rL-us-usa-educaLlon-rheebre84e1oa-
20120313_1_mlchelle-rhee-sLudenLsflrsL-grade-level
7
www.sLudenLsflrsL.org/press/enLry/sLudenLsflrsL-elecLoral-acLlvlLy-ln-2012
StudentsFirsts Members Have Been Active Reaching Out
to Legislators and Attending Events All Over the Country.
Over 450,000 letters have been sent to over 5,000 legislators
across the country
Over 27,000 members have participated in locally organized
events in our active states.
The source cited by
NYGPS claiming
StudentsFirst is a $100
million effort actually says
$150 million effort.
Pick a style and
stick to it.
Headings should
be consistent.
Hey hey!
Lookie here!
StudentsFirst files all required disclo-
sures. In fact, donors have been
disclosed on filings in numerous states.
Michelle Rhee even writes about some
of them in her book, Radical.
82%: Based on the very press release cited by NYGPS
[StudentsFirst press release, 11/8/12]
OMG
Fact check:
StudentsFirst won 24/39
of contested races:
61.5% win rate
Misspelling: Districts
,
Were two for ten!
Fact check:
SF supported
3 dems out of
5 canidates
Fact check:
SF spent nearly the same amount
supporting dem and rep candidates.


3

Where SLudenLsllrsL opLed Lo spend slgnlflcanL funds on conLesLed races, Lhelr record ls less
commendable:
Ca||forn|a schoo| board races: SLudenLsllrsL and Lhelr board members spenL over $300,000
backlng Lhe candldacles of kaLe Anderson for Los Angeles School 8oard, and lranclsco CasLlllo
for Lhe WesL SacramenLo School 8oard. 1he Los Angeles race was a magneL for blg spendlng
educaLlon reformers. new ?ork ClLy Mayor Mlchael 8loomberg, a SLudenLsllrsL ally puL $1
mllllon lnLo 3 candldaLes lncludlng Anderson,
8
and former n?C Chancellor !oel kleln a
SLudenLsllrsL new ?ork 8oard member puL ln $23,000.
9
news Amerlca, a dlvlslon of 8uperL
Murdoch's news Corp. conLrlbuLed $230,000 Lo Lhe CoallLlon.
10
Murdoch ls also a SLudenLsllrsL
donor. Anderson losL ln Los Angeles and CasLlllo losL ln WesL SacremenLo. SLudenLsllrsL
aLLempLed Lo spln Lhelr loss ln LA lnLo a galn, noLlng LhaL Lhey had backed a slaLe of Lhree
candldaLes, Lhe oLher Lwo of whom were successful. 8uL nelLher of Lhe oLher candldaLes was ln
a compeLlLlve race.
11

8r|dgeport ba||ot |n|t|at|ve: SLudenLsllrsL spenL $183,480 on a 8rldgeporL, C1 balloL lnlLlaLlve
LhaL would have ellmlnaLed Lhe clLy's elecLed board of educaLlon, replaclng lL wlLh one
appolnLed by Lhe Mayor.
12
8rldgeporL, Lhe 169
Lh
mosL populous clLy ln Amerlca, may noL seem
llke a naLural cholce for such expenslve pollLlcal advocacy. 8uL 8hee, eager Lo puL a marker
down ln any blue sLaLe, seemed desperaLe for a wln. 8hee's husband, SacramenLo Mayor kevln
!ohnson, flew Lo 8rldgeporL Lo advocaLe for Lhe measure.
13
SLudenLsllrsL poured money lnLo
canvasslng and adverLlsemenLs and leveraged conLrlbuLlons from her allles.
14
1ogeLher,
supporLers of Lhe referendum spenL more Lhan half a mllllon dollars-Lhe mosL spenL on a
referendum ln Lhe sLaLe's hlsLory-only Lo lose. Mayor 8loomberg also conLrlbuLed $20,000 Lo
Lhls lnlLlaLlve.
13

M|ch|gan ba||ot measure: SLudenLsllrsL spenL $300,000 opposlng Mlchlgan's roposlLlon 2, a
balloL measure proposlng Lo codlfy collecLlve bargalnlng ln Lhe sLaLe consLlLuLlon. 1he measure
had no dlrecL connecLlon Lo publlc educaLlon. re-elecLlon polllng showed Lhe measure as
unllkely Lo succeed.
16
lnsLead of slLLlng lL ouL, SLudenLsllrsL-sLlll purporLlng Lo be a blparLlsan
organlzaLlon-puL half a mllllon dollars as well as slgnlflcanL pollLlcal caplLal lnLo flghLlng Lhe
balloL measure. lL appears LhaL Lhelr supporL for Lhls measure cosL SLudenLsllrsL some of Lhelr
besL LalenL, wlLh Lhe noffloqtoo lost clLlng Lhe lncldenL as Lhe lmpeLus for an exodus of
uemocraLlc sLaff.
17
Whlle Mlchlgan voLers re[ecLed a consLlLuLlonal amendmenL enshrlnlng
collecLlve bargalnlng, SLudenLsllrsL's conLrlbuLlon ls llkely Lo have done llLLle for LhaL efforL,
whlle burnlng conslderable good wlll wlLh uemocraLs.


8
hLLp://arLlcles.laLlmes.com/2013/feb/12/local/la-me-bloomberg-lausd-20130213
9
hLLp://arLlcles.laLlmes.com/2013/feb/10/local/la-me-school-board-money-20130211
10
hLLp://medlamaLLers.org/blog/2013/03/03/news-corp-puLs-lLs-Lhumb-on-Lhe-scale-of-la-ele/192913
11
hLLp://blogs.sacbee.com/caplLolalerLlaLesL/2013/03/mlxed-bag-for-mlchelle-rhee-ln-Luesdays-school-board-
races.hLml
12
hLLp://blog.cLnews.com/kanLrowlLz/2013/01/17/corporaLe-educaLlon-reformers-spend-363000-and-counLlng-
ln-brldgeporL-loss/
13
hLLp://onlylnbrldgeporL.com/wordpress/pelLo-flles-campalgn-flnance-complalnLs-lnvolvlng-educaLlon-balloL-
lnlLlaLlve/
14
hLLp://blog.cLnews.com/kanLrowlLz/2013/01/17/corporaLe-educaLlon-reformers-spend-363000-and-counLlng-
ln-brldgeporL-loss/
13
hLLp://blogs.vlllagevolce.com/runnlnscared/2012/11/bloomberg_donaLes_brldgeporL.php
16
hLLp://balloLpedla.org/wlkl/lndex.php/Mlchlgan_22roLecL_Cur_!obs22_AmendmenL,_roposal_2_(2012)
17
hLLp://www.hufflngLonposL.com/2013/01/04/mlchelle-rhees-sLudenLsflrsL_n_2411484.hLml
$350,000
Coalition for
School Reform
that endorsed 3
candidates for
Los Angeles
School Board
Washington
Unified School
Board in West
Sacramento
Incomplete
information;
initiative by
Democrat
Mayor Bill
Finch.
NYGPS own
source, an
EPIC-MRA poll
conducted on
September
8-11, 2012, says
otherwise. It
found that 48
percent were in
support of the
measure, while
43 percent were
opposed, with 9
percent undecid-
ed.
[From Rhee-ality
Checks own
source]
StudentsFirstNY
,
,
Sacramento
S B R
B I
B M
,
, ,


4

1oto-oot wos low ot o coooectlcot tolly
fooJeJ by 5toJeotslltst
1he organlzaLlon doesn'L seem Lo do much beLLer aL rallylng
grassrooLs supporL for Lhelr efforLs.
ln a leaked documenL posLed by Lhe rogresslve Change
Campalgn CommlLLee, SLudenLsllrsL's general counsel
LhreaLened Lo sue Lhe ConnecLlcuL arenLs unlon afLer
a ConnecLlcuL rally held by Mlchelle 8hee drew almosL
no aLLendees.
18
1he rally's sparse aLLendance suggesLs
LhaL Lhe organlzaLlon and lLs asLro-Lurf" parLners are
lncapable of moblllzlng a grassrooLs base. lcLures,
posLed on 1wlLLer, appear Lo conflrm LhaL.
19

ln llorlda, SLudenLsllrsL was so desperaLe Lo presenL
Lhe veneer of grassrooLs supporL LhaL former sLaLe
dlrecLor CaLherlne uurkln 8oblnson proposed dollng
ouL glfL cards Lo llsLserv members ln exchange for pro-reform commenLs on blogs.
20

ln Mlssourl, wlLh all of Lhelr money and members," SLudenLsllrsL couldn'L even Lurn ouL a
slngle person for one
evenL.
21
Accordlng Lo
reporLlng by llred up!
Mlssourl, SLudenLsllrsL
organlzers had Lo cancel a
luncheon scheduled ln May
2012 due Lo lack of aLLendance.

Spendlng good money afLer bad Lo promoLe lLs agenda has been a hallmark of SLudenLsllrsL's advocacy
work. lor example, Lhe organlzaLlon wenL all-ouL ln lLs efforLs Lo supporL Lhe Pollywood fllm woot 8ock
uowo, a blg-budgeL fllm LhaL was wldely panned as llLLle propagandlzlng for so-called arenL 1rlgger
laws. SLudenLsllrsL pald employees Lo poslLlvely revlew Lhe 2012 fllm's release,
22
and spenL mllllons of
dollars promoLlng Lhe movle. SLudenLsllrsL gave away Lhousands of LlckeLs Lo Lhe fllm, and hosLed
showlngs aL boLh Lhe uemocraLlc and 8epubllcan naLlonal ConvenLlons lasL summer. lor lLs efforLs, Lhe
forgeLLable woot 8ock uowo was Lhe lowesL grosslng openlng weekend of any movle of slmllar
dlsLrlbuLlon, ever.
23


AnoLher SLudenLsllrsL prlorlLy was Lhe developmenL of annual sLaLe reporL cards" measurlng
adherence Lo SLudenLsllrsL's pollcy agenda. 8eporLedly over a year ln Lhe underLaklng, Lhe flrsL round of
reporL cards was released ln early 2013. 1hey were meL wlLh conslderable skepLlclsm. Academlcs
crlLlclzed Lhe reporL cards as havlng meLhodologlcal errors and provldlng no useful pollcy examlnaLlon
or guldance Lo pollcymakers."
24
1he reporL card efforL was also negaLlvely revlewed by educaLors,
pollcy makers and medla:


18
hLLp://boldprogresslves.org/leaked-documenLs-show-mlchelle-rhee-coordlnaLlng-wlLh-asLroLurf-group-Lo-push-
alecs-parenL-Lrlgger/
19
hLLps://LwlLLer.com/C1ConfldenLlal/sLaLus/180003826233331040/phoLo/1/large
20
hLLp://sLaLelmpacL.npr.org/florlda/2012/07/27/sLudenLsflrsL-asks-florlda-allles-Lo-hlL-Lhe-blogs-wln-a-glfL-card/
21
hLLp://www.flredupmlssourl.com/conLenL/sLudenLs-flrsL-Lrles-falls-be-real-grassrooLs-organlzaLlon
22
hLLp://[ersey[azzman.blogspoL.com/2012/09/sLudenLsflrsL-asLroLurflng-movle.hLml
23
hLLp://blogs.vlllagevolce.com/runnlnscared/2012/10/debaLe_over_wonL_back_down.php
24
hLLp://nepc.colorado.edu/LhlnkLank/revlew-SLudenLs-llrsL-Crades
StudentsI|rst organ|zers had to cance| a
|uncheon schedu|ed |n May 2012 due to |ack of
attendance.
Hartford, CT: An opposition member took a picture of the rally before
anyone was on stage & blogs like RheeFirst stated it was a "no
show". The Hartford Courant profiled the event in an article on
March 14,2012, estimating 75 parents in attendance. Even Big
Education Ape & Parents Across America confirmed this.
AstroTurf, the brand,
would not be pleased.
Nice use of
the qualifier.
CYA is
good when
you post
misleading
pictures.
Lack of
attendance?
Or cancelation to
protect members
from being
harassed by union
activists who
threatened a
coordinated
protest?
Whaaat? Might wanna check your grammar.
I hear a $5 gift
card from Target
can produce a
HUGE turnout.
A few employees, clearly identified as such, reviewed the film positively.
To be clear, no one was paid for those reviews. But hey, good to know, if you
work at StudentsFirst apparently you cant review movies.
Fact check:
Ummm...no.
Citation please?
Fact check:
Policy Report Card
stats by the numbers:
177 Press hits
Policy Report Card
supported by: 3 Governors;
4 State Superintendents; 16
State Legislators, Business
Leaders in 2 states; and
4 ndependent Think Tanks.


3

StudentsI|rst report cards prov|de "no usefu| po||cy
exam|nat|on or gu|dance to po||cymakers."
1he 5t. lools lost-ulspotcb edlLorlal board sLaLed: LveryLhlng LhaL ls wrong wlLh Lhe debaLe
over lmprovlng publlc schools can be seen ln Lhe laLesL reporL card from Mlchelle 8hee's
SLudenLsllrsL organlzaLlon" and sald Lhey merely labeled Lhe schools falllng" because sLaLe
LeglslaLures haven'L
adopLed Lhe pollcy
prescrlpLlons pushed by Ms.
8hee's group."
23

A superlnLendenL of schools ln PolllsLer, MC spoke ouL agalnsL hls sLaLe's 'u-' ranklng, saylng
LhaL bulldlng up publlc schools. obvlously lsn'L [SLudenLsllrsL's] agenda."
26
noLlng LhaL Lhe
reporL cards dld noL measure sLudenL performance, or any oLher lndlcaLor of educaLlonal
quallLy, Callfornla depuLy sLaLe superlnLendenL 8lchard Zlegler called hls sLaLe's falllng grade a
badge of honor,"
27

1eachers bashed Lhe reporL card ln blogs on Lhe PufflngLon osL
28
and ?ahoo.com,
29


lL's no wonder, glven Lhese mlssLeps, LhaL SLudenLsllrsL geLs low marks on effecLlveness from one of Lhe
leadlng scorekeepers of Lhe educaLlon pollcy debaLe.

WhlLeboard Advlsors ls a respecLed consulLlng pracLlce ln WashlngLon, u.C. locused on educaLlon,
WhlLeboard provldes research and sLraLeglc supporL Lo lnvesLors and phllanLhroplc donors, governmenL
leaders and enLrepreneurs lnLeresLed ln shaplng Lhe educaLlon pollcy debaLe. WhlLeboard conducLs a
monLhly survey of lnfluenLlal leaders ln educaLlon pollcy-lncludlng currenL and former WhlLe Pouse
and ueparLmenL of LducaLlon sLaff, congresslonal sLaff, sLaLe schools chlefs and leaders of ma[or
educaLlon organlzaLlons, Lo gaLher Lhelr reflecLlons on a range of Loplcs. ln uecember 2012, one of Lhe
Loplc areas ln Lhelr survey was around Lhe effecLlveness of mulLl-sLaLe advocacy groups.

8espondenLs Lo Lhe survey were very skepLlcal of SLudenLsllrsL's overall effecLlveness as an advocacy
group. Among Lhe educaLlon pollcy leaders surveyed by WhlLe 8oard, SLudenLsllrsL was ranked Lhe
Lhlrd leost effecLlve group ln Lhe raLlngs, beaLlng only Lhe 8lack Alllance for LducaLlonal CpLlons (8ALC)
and SLudenLs for LducaLlon 8eform (SlL8), desplLe havlng a larger budgeL Lhan Lhese, and mosL oLher
educaLlon reform organlzaLlons.
30
32 of respondenLs raLed SLudenLsllrsL elLher lneffecLlve" or very
lneffecLlve" aL sLaLe pollcy advocacy.

SLudenLsllrsL fared even worse aL CoallLlon 8ulldlng" wlLh 32 of respondenLs caLegorlzlng Lhem as
lneffecLlve" or very lneffecLlve," maklng Lhem dead lasL ln Lhe caLegory. noL a slngle respondenL
caLegorlzed SLudenLsllrsL as effecLlve" or beLLer aL coallLlon bulldlng.


23
hLLp://www.sLlLoday.com/news/oplnlon/columns/Lhe-plaLform/edlLorlal-sLudenLsflrsL-reporL-card-mlsses-Lhe-
mark/arLlcle_7b322d39-8cff-3271-8fde-c3a9ffbb7dbd.hLml
26
hLLp://www.komc.com/13293/holllsLer_superlnLendenL_speaks_ouL_agalnsL_sLudenLsflrsL.hLml
27
hLLp://www.sLlLoday.com/news/oplnlon/columns/Lhe-plaLform/edlLorlal-sLudenLsflrsL-reporL-card-mlsses-Lhe-
mark/arLlcle_7b322d39-8cff-3271-8fde-c3a9ffbb7dbd.hLml
28
hLLp://www.hufflngLonposL.com/randy-Lurner/sLudenLsflrsL-reporL-card_b_2424381.hLml
29
hLLp://volces.yahoo.com/mlchelle-rhees-sLudenLsflrsL-sLaLe-educaLlon-reporL-11963228.hLml
30
hLLp://www.whlLeboardadvlsors.com/flles/uec20201220-
20LducaLlon20lnslder20(ConsLorla,20SLudenL20Surveys,20Advocacy20Croups)_0.pdf
56%
Incomplete information
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board also said; Unlike some education reform groups, Students-
First is bipartisan. Thats a good thing. They also stated they agreed that States do a better job of
training teachers and that teachers are held to account in part by tracking students test scores.
Incomplete
information

Chris Nicastro, the
states commissioner of
elementary and
secondary education,
said via email:
The StudentsFirst
report card gives us
another look at some
critical state policy
issues in education. We
are pleased to consider
both their research and
their recommendations
as we work to make
Missouri one of the
nations Top 10
performing states.

There is no one else in this
space who can command
attention like she can, said
Andrew J. Rotherham, a
former Clinton administration
official who now runs
Bellwether Education, a
nonprofit group that works to
improve education for
low-income students. She
has star power. People in
the business call it a Q
score. . . . For an issue like
education, definitely a
second-tier issue, thats no
small thing.
Meh...for the record 26% thought StudentsFirst was effective.


6

StudentsI|rst. |s
v|ewed as a savvy
b|part|san po||t|ca| and
grassroots power
p|ayer |n the state.

1he WhlLe 8oard Advlsors sLudy also gave SLudenLsllrsL poor marks for Lhe Lhlrd and flnal caLegory,
ersuaslve ollcy/uaLa Analysls." 42 of respondenLs raLed Lhe group lneffecLlve," placlng
SLudenLsllrsL Lhlrd from lasL, agaln ahead of only 8ALC and SlL8.

A kevo|v|ng and Increas|ng|y kepub||can-|ean|ng Staff

8hee's 2006 l8S appllcaLlon for Lax exempL sLaLus shows amblLlous
hlrlng plans, wlLh 260 LoLal employees pro[ecLed.
31
As of !anuary
2013, SLudenLsllrsL employed 124 people, less Lhan half Lhe
pro[ecLed number.
32


1o make maLLers worse, Lhe organlzaLlon has already losL much of
lLs Lop LalenL . uemocraLs llke former 8loomberg lobbylsL Mlcah
Lasher, and former Cbama campalgn spokesperson Parl Sevugan
boLh recenLly lefL Lhe organlzaLlon. 1hey [oln oLher uemocraLs,
xlmena ParLsock, Ana Pall, umlLrl Mehlhorn, and Mlke hllllps, who
reporLedly lefL over whaL one anonymous source descrlbed as
slgnlflcanL dlfferences over pollLlcal sLraLegy and pollcy maLLers."
33


Moreover, by Lhe fall of 2012, SLudenLsllrsL was hlL wlLh anoLher round of sLaff and organlzaLlonal
leadershlp problems whlch undermlned Lhe organlzaLlon's effecLlveness even furLher.

SLudenLsllrsL recenLly hlred former Amerlcans LlecL CLC kahlll 8yrd Lo be presldenL of Lhe organlzaLlon.
ollLlco reporLed 8yrd's hlre ln SepLember 2012,
34
buL for reasons as yeL unclear, SLudenLsllrsL dldn'L
acknowledge 8yrd as Lhe presldenL unLll !anuary 2013.
33


SLudenLsllrsL may have been aLLracLed Lo 8yrd because hls pollLlcal leanlngs Lrack Lhose of 8hee's
blparLlsan" organlzaLlon. 8yrd, a graduaLe of Morehouse College and Parvard unlverslLy, flrsL made a
name as Lhe CommunlcaLlons CoordlnaLor for uemocraL ueval aLrlck's successful campalgn for
Covernor of MassachuseLLs. 8uL 8yrd's nexL venLure was for 8epubllcan !eff 8eaLLy's senaLe campalgn.
8yrd now self-descrlbes as a 8epubllcan.

8yrd's arrlval aL SLudenLsllrsL furLher erodes Lhe organlzaLlon's credenLlals as Lruly blparLlsan. 8yrd has
Lhrown hls haL declslvely ln wlLh Lhe 8epubllcans over Lhe lasL several years, and hls arrlval colnclded
wlLh Lhe deparLure of several well-respecLed uemocraLlc operaLlves.
36




31
hLLp://www.charlLlesnys.com/8eglsLrySearch/show_deLalls.[sp?ld=[9239823L-uCAl-466l-8C88-788l37u73804}
See page 33 of 'l8S 1ax-LxempL appllcaLlon'
32
hLLp://arLlcles.washlngLonposL.com/2013-01-12/local/36323347_1_mlchelle-rhee-scapegoaL-Leachers-weak-
Leachers/2
33
hLLp://www.hufflngLonposL.com/2013/01/04/mlchelle-rhees-sLudenLsflrsL_n_2411484.hLml
34
hLLp://www.pollLlco.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/09/former-amerlcans-elecL-chlef-may-head-rhees-
sLudenLsflrsL-136364.hLml
33
hLLp://www.hufflngLonposL.com/2013/01/04/mlchelle-rhees-sLudenLsfl_n_2411484.hLml
36
hLLp://www.hufflngLonposL.com/2013/01/04/mlchelle-rhees-suLdenLsflrsL_n_2411484.hLml
Thats odd. In the previous paragraph the author describes StudentsFirst President Kahlil Byrds
political leanings as bipartisan and highlights his work with a prominent Democratic governor.
44%
2011
231 Repetitive. Again the
math is wrong.
Offensive?
Yes.
Factual?
Nope.
Note to the
haters: lots
of talent
still here.
Citation
please?
Fact Check: 9 out of 11
senior StudentsFirst staff
members have strong
Democratic ties.
With the addition of a handful of
Republicans, StudentsFirst is finally
bipartisan though, heavily leans
Democrat. The Donkeys are still
outnumbering the Elephants.


7

New Leadersh|p that Does Not Insp|re Conf|dence

kahlll 8yrd launched Amerlcans LlecL ln Aprll 2010. 1he organlzaLlon soughL Lo nomlnaLe a Lhlrd parLy
presldenLlal candldaLe Lhrough an onllne plaLform, and geL LhaL candldaLe on Lhe balloL ln every sLaLe-
an ulLlmaLely unsuccessful endeavor. under 8yrd's leadershlp, Amerlcans LlecL spenL mllllons on a
collecLlon of hlgh-prlced consulLanLs, fancy offlce space, and excesslve salarles.
37
8yrd hlmself recelved
$141,123 ln 2010, and a conLracL for $132,300 was funneled Lo Sung Medla venLures, a sole
proprleLorshlp owned by 8yrd.
38
8yrd also recelved $86,000 ln salary ln 2011, whlle slmulLaneously
earnlng $142,873 Lhrough Sung Medla venLures.
39
Sung Medla venLures also Look ln $73,000 from Lhe
predecessor organlzaLlon Lo Amerlcans LlecL.
40


Whlle 8yrd and hls army of consulLanLs
41
made off wlLh a slgnlflcanL chunk of Amerlcans LlecL's $33
mllllon war chesL, Amerlcans LlecL seemed Lo be saboLaglng Lhelr own organlzaLlon. uesplLe spendlng
mllllons of dollars Lo secure Lhelr name on Lhe balloLs of several sLaLes, Lhe organlzaLlon was noL able Lo
nomlnaLe a candldaLe. Amerlcans LlecL burled Lhe voLlng llnk for Lhe nomlnaLlon ln a blog posL, and dld
noL noLlfy Lhelr onllne membershlp abouL Lhe polllng.
42
1haL mlsLake caused one commenLaLor Lo oplne
LhaL Amerlcans LlecL has noL yeL demonsLraLed LhaL lL acLually undersLands Lhe lnLerneL."
43
1hls fallure
was desplLe Lhe facL LhaL Lhey spenL $9 mllllon on a web voLlng plaLform.

ulLlmaLely, Lhese lssues made Amerlcans LlecL a profoundly unsuccessful organlzaLlon. Call Colllns of Lhe
New otk 1lmes called Lhe group deluslonal, ln a deeply flaLLerlng way."
44
A proflle on SlaLe.com called
Amerlcans LlecL an lnevlLable fallure" and chasLlsed Lhem for spendlng Lhelr hedge fund-backed money
on swank offlces a sLone's Lhrow from Lhe WhlLe Pouse."
43


8yrd has a checkered pasL beyond hls relaLlonshlp wlLh Amerlcans LlecL. lor example:
ln May of 2008, 8yrd [olned !eff 8eaLLy's campalgn for !ohn kerry's senaLe seaL.
46
8eaLLy losL Lhe
elecLlon ln a landsllde, spendlng $1.7 mllllon of Lhe nearly $2 mllllon he ralsed for Lhe campalgn
on ouL of sLaLe fundralslng.
47
8yrd ls llsLed as boLh a spokesperson and advlsor Lo Lhe campalgn.
8eaLLy, a 8epubllcan ln a heavlly-uemocraLlc sLaLe, waspro[ecLed Lo lose. noL only was he

37
hLLp://lrregularLlmes.com/lndex.php/archlves/2012/07/01/whos-Lo-blame-for-Lhe-amerlcans-elecL-lmploslon-
blame-lbl/
38
hLLp://lrregularLlmes.com/wp-conLenL/uploads/2011/11/AmerlcansLlecL2010lorm990.pdf
39
hLLp://LhaLsmycongress.com/AmerlcansLlecL2011lorm990.pdf
40
hLLp://www.opensecreLs.org/327s/327cmLedeLall_expends.php?eln=272283014&cycle=2010
41
hLLp://lrregularLlmes.com/lndex.php/archlves/2012/07/01/whos-Lo-blame-for-Lhe-amerlcans-elecL-lmploslon-
blame-lbl/
42
hLLp://www.hufflngLonposL.com/2012/03/17/amerlcans-elecL_n_1323031.hLml
43
hLLp://www.hufflngLonposL.com/2012/03/17/amerlcans-elecL_n_1323031.hLml
44
hLLp://www.nyLlmes.com/2012/03/31/oplnlon/colllns-Llme-Lo-elecL-Lhe-worsL-ldea.hLml?_r=0
43

hLLp://www.slaLe.com/arLlcles/news_and_pollLlcs/pollLlcs/2012/03/amerlcans_elecL_an_lnevlLable_33_mllllon_fal
lure_.hLml
46
hLLp://www.redmassgroup.com/dlary/1328/
47

hLLp://web.archlve.org/web/20081204092712/hLLp://www.bosLon.com/news/local/arLlcles/2008/10/30/desplLe_
2m_ralsed_kerry_rlval_geLs_llLLle/
Another view:
Good and qualified people see politics as so poisonous today that they simply
dont want to participate, explained Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to
President George W. Bush and a major player in the Americans Elect
movement. Its just damn difficult to break the iron grip of the two-party system.
Jon Huntsman, who ran unsuccessfully for the
Republican presidential nomination but since
dropping out has been a major advocate for a third
party, said Todays pathetic political environment will
be upended either by visionary solutions-based
leadership or by the kind of disruptive organizing
technology being fine-tuned by Americans Elect.
Misleading
Odd diction -
misleading context for
simply working as a
political advisor
For the record:
Americans Elect
joined forces with
a broad coalition
seeking to put
independent
voices into high
office. Recently,
they supported
Angus King, an
independent from
Maine who
secured a seat in
the US Senate


8

runnlng agalnsL a well-llked lncumbenL, 8eaLLy ran for Lhe u.S. SenaLe durlng a presldenLlal
elecLlon LhaL moblllzed uemocraLs as never before.
48

8yrd was Lhe pollLlcal sLraLeglsL for ken 8lock's 2010 gubernaLorlal bld ln 8hode lsland on Lhe
ModeraLe arLy LlckeL.
49
8lock, a sofLware englneer and founder of Lhe ModeraLe arLy, won
only 6.3 of Lhe voLe.
30


ls khalll 8yrd's Lrack record Lhe Lype LhaL wlll boosL Lhe confldence of prospecLlve SLudenLsllrsL donors
and help Lhem meeL Lhelr overslzed fundralslng goals? lf hls pasL aL Amerlcans LlecL ls any lndlcaLlon,
Lhe answer ls a resoundlng no.

A Cu|ture of Cpen and Lffect|ve Leadersh|p?

ln addlLlon Lo lLs advocacy efforLs SLudenLs llrsL ls a vehlcle for Lhe promoLlon and personal enrlchmenL
of lLs founder and CLC, Mlchelle 8hee. SLudenLsllrsL has spenL a conslderable sum promoLlng 8hee's
new book, koJlcol. llqbtloq to lot 5toJeots lltst. 8hee's book webslLe ls hosLed on SLudenLsllrsL's
server,
31
and Lhe SLudenLsllrsL webslLe allows vlslLors Lhe ablllLy Lo read excerpLs.
32
noLhlng suggesLs
LhaL any porLlon of Lhe book sales wlll be donaLed Lo SLudenLsllrsL. SLudenLsllrsL has also organlzed
evenLs promoLlng 8hee's book, lncludlng slx sLops ln ennsylvanla.
33


8hee charges $30,000 ln speaklng fees, plus flrsL class Lravel and accommodaLlons, per speaklng
engagemenL.
34
1hese sums are pald Lo 8hee LnLerprlses LLC, a prlvaLe for-proflL company creaLed by
her broLher.

8hee remalns a llghLnlng rod aL SLudenLsllrsL, much as she was durlng her Lenure as Lhe Chancellor of
Lhe WashlngLon, u.C.'s publlc schools.

8hee was hlred Lo Lake over Lhe u.C. schools afLer Lhe clLy's hugely popular new mayor, Adrlan lenLy,
convlnced Lhe ClLy Councll and Congress Lo glve hlm unllaLeral conLrol over Lhe ulsLrlcL's Lroubled school
sysLem. 8hee, who had been a classroom Leacher for only Lhree years and had never served as an
admlnlsLraLor lnslde a school sysLem, promlsed LhaL, wlLhln flve years of her arrlval, u.C. ubllc Schools
would become Lhe hlghesL performlng urban school dlsLrlcL ln Lhe counLry and one LhaL has Lhe falLh
and confldence of Lhe clLlzens of Lhe clLy." Llke her belllcose fundralslng predlcLlons for SLudenLsllrsL,
her resulLs mlssed Lhe mark.

AfLer Lhree years as Chancellor, Lhe ulsLrlcL of Columbla ubllc Schools were confronLlng slgnlflcanL
problems: 1eacher Lurnover had rlsen Lo a naLlon-wlde hlgh of 30 wlLhln flve years. Cver 30 of Lhe
clLy's prlnclpals had been removed. LducaLors complalned LhaL Lhere was no currlculum Lo go wlLh

48
hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/unlLed_SLaLes_SenaLe_elecLlon_ln_MassachuseLLs,_2008
49
hLLp://www.lndependenLpollLlcalreporL.com/2010/04/moderaLe-parLy-of-rhode-lsland-gubernaLorlal-candldaLe-
ken-block-flrms-up-campalgn-Leam/
30
hLLp://www.rlfuLure.org/Lhe-moderaLe-parLy-needs-an-ldenLlLy.hLml
31
hLLp://www.blng.com/search?q=lp3A108.163.166.178&qs=n&form=C8LP&pq=lp3A108.163.166.178&sc=0-
3&sp=-1&sk=
32
hLLp://www.sLudenLsflrsL.org/pages/radlcal
33
hLLp://www.evenLbrlLe.com/org/3333089440
34
hLLp://www.washlngLonposL.com/blogs/answer-sheeL/posL/guess-whaL-mlchelle-rhee-charged-a-school-Lo-
speak/2011/10/24/glCAen6C!M_blog.hLml
High
Pinnochio
Factor
Events were
designed to be
forums for parent
and community
members to discuss
education issues in
Pennsylvania and had
no connection to
Radical
The citation in the
report links to a calendar
posting of a series of
grassroots events that
were organized and led
by the StudentsFirst
Pennsylvania State
Director. Those events
were specifically
designed to be forums
for parents and
community members to
discuss the state of
education in
Pennsylvania and had
no connection
whatsoever to
Michelle Rhees
books.
Thats a convenient
way to spin data.
According to a report
by TNTP, however,
DCPS is actually
retaining more of its
best teachers than
other districts - in fact,
in the 2010-2011
school year, DCPS
retained its best
teachers at nearly
double the rate of its
low-performing
teachers. In other
words, when it comes
to keeping teachers in
the classroom who
benefit kids the most,
DCPS is now a national
leader. [StudentsFirst
Vice President of
Policy, Huffington Post,
4/30/13]
Only union front groups
would take issue with
advancing a moderate policy
agenda.
The sillyness factor
exponentially increases with
every page.
Tin foil hat alert.
Second poor of trite phrase


9

sLandards enacLed [usL before 8hee arrlved. lnformaLlon was hard Lo come by-wlLh no daLa on drop-
ouL or graduaLlon raLes or oLher lndlcaLors avallable. Cne of Lhe mosL frusLraLlng feaLures of 8hee's
Lenure ln uC was Lhe opaclLy and mlsmanagemenL of Lhe school sysLem's budgeL. Accordlng Lo a long-
Llme waLchdog of Lhe uC schools, uCS under 8hee dld noL follow lLs approved budgeL, someLlmes
engaglng ln masslve mld-year reprogrammlng" and over-spendlng. 8udgeL numbers were noL released,
or made no sense. And, conLrary Lo 8hee's rheLorlc abouL downslzlng uCS cenLral offlces, Lhe number
of cenLral offlce employees ln uCS when 8hee deparLed was hlgher Lhan ln any year slnce 1981, when
Lhe dlsLrlcL had Lwlce as many sLudenLs.
33


ulsLrlcL sLudenLs fared no beLLer under Chancellor 8hee. ln facL, uC conLlnues Lo have Lhe lowesL
graduaLlon raLe of any ma[or urban cenLer ln Lhe counLry. 1esL scores, Lhe sole sLandard of success LhaL
8hee expresses bellef ln, have remalned LoLally flaL. 1he nAL exams reveal an exLremely dlsLurblng seL
of ouLcomes, raLher Lhan closlng Lhe educaLlon achlevemenL gap, Lhe gap has acLually wldened
asLronomlcally-by 29 ln 8Lh grade readlng and 72 ln 4Lh grade maLh.

And Lhere's more. Whlle Lhe naLlon ls shocked now by Lhe alarmlng LesL score cheaLlng scandal ln
ALlanLa, Lhere ls conslderable evldence of slmllarly large-scale cheaLlng durlng 8hee's Lenure ln u.C. As
fully exposed ln a scaLhlngly deLalled recounLlng by 8S news Pour educaLlon correspondenL !ohn
Merrow
36
Lhere ls slgnlflcanL evldence LhaL 8hee knew abouL Lhe cheaLlng. Per fallure Lo lnvesLlgaLe
and come clean wlLh Lhe facLs abouL LesL score cheaLlng under her Lenure may have helped her burnlsh
her repuLaLlon, buL does noL bode well for Lhe Lype of leadershlp LhaL can successfully lmprove our
publlc schools.

8hee's abraslve personallLy and dlsdaln for publlc dlsclosure of lnformaLlon are wldely credlLed wlLh
brlnglng down her sponsor-Lhe hlghly popular and charlsmaLlc Mayor. !usL Lhree years afLer wlnnlng
Lhe MayoralLy ln a landsllde, lenLy was ousLed by Lhe voLers ln 2010, and hls loss was wldely plnned on
hls supporL for Mlchelle 8hee.

8hee ls dlvlslve, even among fellow markeL reformers. When WhlLe 8oard Advlsors, conducLed Lhelr
uecember 2012 poll on educaLlon pollcy, Lhey asked abouL lndlana Commlssloner of LducaLlon 1ony
8enneLL's defeaL. Cne responder oplned: eople dldn'L llke hlm-[he was] Loo 8hee-llke."
37


Lven Lhe organlzaLlon's publlc sLaLemenLs abouL wheLher or noL 8hee's chlldren aLLend publlc school
ralses quesLlons abouL Lransparency. As parL of a March 2013 proflle ln Lhe los Aoqeles 1lmes, a
spokesperson for SLudenLsllrsL descrlbed Mlchelle 8hee as a publlc school parenL." ?eL 8hee's
daughLer reporLedly aLLends ParpeLh Pall, an ellLe prlvaLe school ln nashvllle, 1n.
38
lnsLead of slmply
correcLlng Lhe sLaLemenL, spokesperson Lrln Shaw obfuscaLed, saylng, lL was noL our lnLenLlon Lo be
mlsleadlng. lL ls our pollcy noL Lo dlscuss where Mlchelle's chlldren aLLend school ouL of respecL for Lhelr
prlvacy... Whlle lL ls Lrue Mlchelle ls a publlc school parenL, we undersLand how LhaL sLaLemenL was
mlsleadlng.
39


33
1esLlmony before Lhe CommlLLee of Lhe Whole, ulsLrlcL of Columbla Councll, by Mary Levy. Aprll 7, 2011.
36
hLLp://LaklngnoLe.learnlngmaLLers.Lv/?p=6232
37
hLLp://www.whlLeboardadvlsors.com/flles/nov20201220-
20LducaLlon20lnslder20(lederal20ollcy20-201esLlng20-20LlecLlons)_0.pdf
38
hLLp://www.washlngLonmonLhly.com/college_gulde/blog/mlchelle_rhee_publlc_school_pa.php
39
hLLp://www.laLlmes.com/news/local/pollLlcal/la-me-pc-mlchelle-rhee-a-publlc-school-parenL-
20130328,0,6193387.sLory
In the year and a half she's been on the job, Rhee has made more changes than most school leaders--even
reform-minded ones--make in five years. She has shut 21 schools--15% of the city's total--and fired more than
100 workers from the district's famously bloated 900-person central bureaucracy. " [Time,11/26/ 08]
November
2012 Again,
according to
NYGPS own
source
Elementary and
Secondary
Performance Posted
Steady Growth Over
Past 5 Years.
According to data
released by the
school district,
elementary scores
have continued to
show steady growth,
with reading scores
rising from 37.5
percent proficient in
2007 to 43.0 percent
in 2011, and math
scores rising from
29.3 percent
proficient in 2007 to
42.3 percent in 2011.
Overall scores in
reading are up 5.5
points and scores in
math are up 13
points over the past
five years
Secondary scores
grew for the 5th
consecutive year in
both math and
reading. Since 2007,
reading performance
has increased by
about 14.5 points
(from 34.8 to 48.2)
and math by nearly
20 points (from 32.9
to 52.8). District
students have
continued to post
gains each year.
[OSSE 2011 Test
Results Release]
In January of this year, Michelle Rhee released the following -
"Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General announced that their investigation found no widespread cheating
on the DC Comprehensive Assessment System tests from 2008-2010. This conclusion supports previous investigations and findings of the
DC Office of the Inspector General and others. At StudentsFirst we believe it is incredibly important to take all allegations of wrongdoing
seriously and we thank both offices for doing so. The results confirm what we've long believed, that the vast majority of educators would
never compromise their personal or professional integrity to cheat on a test, thereby cheating children. With six separate, consecutive tests
(both DC CAS and NAEP) showing significant improvements in academic achievement, we congratulate the children and educators in DC for
their hard work and accomplishments."
This is curious. The fact that Michelles other daughter
goes to public school is completely missing.


10


Stumb||ng |n New ork

SLudenLsllrsL moved lnLo new ?ork sLaLe a llLLle more Lhan a year ago. Announclng lLself ln a New otk
1lmes arLlcle, Lhen execuLlve dlrecLor Mlcah Lasher boasLed: 1hls organlzaLlon ls really golng Lo
represenL a redoubllng of efforLs, new energy and serlous resources, lnvesLed ln maklng our schools
greaL."
60
1he arLlcle sLaLed LhaL SLudenLsllrsL new ?ork planned Lo ralse $30 mllllon over flve years, Lo
purchase Lhe lnfluence necessary Lo push Lhrough unpopular reforms supporLed by Lhe organlzaLlon.

SLudenLsllrsL new ?ork has advocaLed for pollcles LhaL are noL popular wlLh new ?orkers. 1he
organlzaLlon lobbled agalnsL a moraLorlum on school closures,
61
desplLe polllng showlng LhaL less Lhan
forLy percenL of new ?orkers supporL school closures.
62
And whlle SLudenLsllrsL new ?ork ls organlzed
Lo proLecL Lhe pollcles of Mayor 8loomberg, polllng also suggesLs LhaL LhaL fewer Lhan one-ln-Lhree new
?orkers LrusLs LhaL 8loomberg's educaLlon besL proLecL sLudenL lnLeresLs.
63
Whlle 8loomberg hlmself has
donaLed Lo SLudenLsllrsL efforLs ln oLher sLaLes, Lhere ls no evldence LhaL he has conLrlbuLed Lo
SLudenLsllrsLn?.

SLudenLsllrsL new ?ork has noL en[oyed popular supporL over Lhe pasL year. A recenL rally ln 8edford-
SLuyvesanL drew only a handful of people, none of whom had chlldren aL Lhe school where Lhey were
proLesLlng.
64
Cf Lhe few aLLendees, one was a parenL of a sLudenL aL CommunlLy 8ooLs CharLer School,
63

whlch conLradlcLed earller sLaLemenLs by SLudenLsllrsL new ?ork, who clalmed noL Lo belng seeklng Lo
lnvolve charLer school parenLs.
66


SLudenLsllrsL new ?ork has also losL key sLaff members, lncludlng dlrecLor of educaLlon Anna Pall and
execuLlve dlrecLor Mlcah Lasher.
67



Is StudentsI|rst a Sound Investment?

lnvesLors ln 8hee's new flagshlp, SLudenLsllrsL need noL look Lo 8hee's Lenure ln u.C. Lo ralse concern
abouL her managemenL sLyle, pollLlcal sophlsLlcaLlon or educaLlonal effecLlveness. lndeed, ln Lhe flrsL
Lwo years of lLs exlsLence, SLudenLsllrsL has squandered huge lnvesLmenLs and falled Lo meeL lnlLlal

hLLp://www.nyLlmes.com/2012/04/04/nyreglon/group-alms-Lo-counLer-lnfluence-of-Leachers-
unlon.hLml?ref=educaLlon&_r=0
61

hLLps://apps.[cope.ny.gov/lrr/AdmlnlsLraLlon/L8_PLmlL8lmonLhly.aspx?x=Llwvq0x1WLbS8u20ls7!PCxlx6hc8Cfbv
1lCmw[yyp2fleq2fLM[21LlC2eL211uks!3v9Cno1m4xsubAc8zxwnlu[?8cs[kC3ucwbLP7dP9LWkvrC6eS8hf9
l8cx8o8?aC3cx2f99WCc73v0bgCyolc1gayMplf2L2b6LM2bm78yskhnWd9ZklxlxnWh[ulaScuylSS1!dap86
2b98fh?hn1Cuv4Ckaoyb9kA20pkx40oMpz1a4lLdqexv6nkkSqu4C41u2Anaq3pApnlZ2bZCL[6ol23z?l?6lC81x
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hLLp://goLhamschools.org/2012/03/10/poll-few-nyers-see-school-closures-as-sound-educaLlon-pollcy/
hLLp://goLhamschools.org/2012/02/08/poll-nyers-donL-LrusL-bloomberg-Lo-proLecL-sLudenLs-lnLeresLs/
hLLp://goLhamschools.org/2013/04/18/bed-sLuy-rally-shows-sLudenLsflrsLnys-organlzlng-challenges/
hLLp://goLhamschools.org/2013/04/18/bed-sLuy-rally-shows-sLudenLsflrsLnys-organlzlng-challenges/
hLLp://goLhamschools.org/2012/11/19/parenLs-rally-aL-clLy-hall-buL-Lhelr-proLesL-ls-dlrecLed-elsewhere/
hLLp://goLhamschools.org/2013/03/23/mlcah-lashers-sLudenLsflrsLny-exlL-leaves-dlrecLlon-ln-quesLlon/
Poll after poll show that the vast majority of New Yorkers support policies
that keep great teachers in the classroom based upon their effectiveness and support more transparency
New York Poll Finds Almost Ninety Percent Of Voters Support Laying Off Teachers Based On Their Performance.
Asked, If public school administrators need to lay off teachers, do you think they should lay off teachers based on seniority
or based on their performance? 87% of voters said performance and 9% of voters said seniority. [Politicker,2/16/12]
New York Poll Finds Almost Two-Thirds Of Voters Think Merit Pay Should Be Granted To Outstanding Teachers.
Asked, Some people say that public school teachers who do an outstanding job should be rewarded with additional pay,
so called merit pay. Do you think this is a good idea or bad idea? 64% of voters said good idea
and 31% said bad idea. [Politicker,2/16/12]
Another View:
There is no one else in this space who can command attention like she can,
said Andrew J. Rotherham, a former Clinton administration official who now runs
Bellwether Education, a nonprofit group that works to improve education for
low-income students. She has star power. People in the business call it a Q score....
For an issue like education, definitely a second-tier issue, thats no small thing.
This seems
to be the
same instance
as the Connecticut
rally pictures.

Here's a video
showing parents
marching in
Bedford-Stuyv
http://www.stu-
dentsfirstny.org/in-
dex.cfm?objec-
tid=D78E39E0-A9
01-11E2-A427000
C296BA163
For the record: SFNY is now being led by Glen Weiner, a
former Hilary Clinton staffer and senior aide to the DCCC
Here we go again...misspelling: StudentsFirstNY


11

expecLaLlons abouL lLs lmpacL on educaLlon reform. lnLroduced as a blparLlsan efforL for Lhe chlldren,"
SLudenLsllrsL ls clearly seLLllng lnLo 8epubllcan pollcy clrcles-a developmenL LhaL has led Lo Lhe
deparLure of several hlgh-powered uemocraLlc operaLlves LhaL had been hlred lnLo Lhe organlzaLlon. ln
compeLlLlve pollLlcal races and balloL measures SLudenLsllrsL has a poor Lrack record desplLe spendlng
large sums of money and leveraglng Lhe supporL of closely afflllaLed large donors. khalll 8yrd, Lhe new
presldenL of SLudenLsllrsL has a Lrack record LhaL does noL lnsplre confldence and hls mosL recenL
venLure ralses serlous quesLlons abouL hls compeLency ln Lhe naLlonal pollLlcal arena. lundralslng has
been slgnlflcanLly slower Lhan expecLed. 1he organlzaLlon clalms 2 mllllon members, buL refuses Lo
release any verlflcaLlon LhaL Lhelr members" are anyLhlng more Lhan peLlLlon slgners or purchased
names on emall llsLs. ALLempLs Lo show pollLlcal muscle by Lurnlng ouL grassrooLs consLlLuenLs aL rallles,
lobby days or even aL movle LheaLers have flopped. ln shorL, Lhe organlzaLlon has falled Lo accompllsh
mosL of lLs goals and has Lherefore become a generally lneffecLlve advocacy group.

NY-GPS,
Sadly, your effort to corroborate your often absurd and outlandish claims leaves a great deal to be desired. I
recommend a course of remedial, basic research practices so that badly used trite phrases, stylistic missteps,
and unsupported claims do not continue to populate your reports.
In summary, there is irrefutable evidence that counters your narrative:
In a little over two years, StudentsFirst has rapidly expanded to have a strong presence in 18 states, and built
a membership base that is hungry and eager for change.
There have been more than 450,000 letters sent to over 5,000 legislators across the country.
n just 30 months, StudentsFirst has engaged more than 27,000 members in locally organized events in 18
active states.
In its first full election cycle, StudentsFirst supported over 100 candidates on a bi-partisan basis and a
half-dozen hotly contested ballot initiatives through direct contributions and independent expenditures this
cycle.
n contested races, StudentsFirst has a successful track record, StudentsFirst was won 24 out of 39 hotly
contested races for a 61.5% win rate and an overall electoral win rate of 82% out of 105 races in the General
2012 election.
In just two years, they have helped passed more than 100 laws and policies with broad bipartisan support
because education reform issues transcend ideological partisanship.
When StudentsFirst released its policy report card in January, it was well-received by policymakers, a number
of independent think tanks, and embraced by parents and teachers throughout the country.
With wide national coverage of the release, the report card effectively raised awareness about whether a state
had created a policy environment that would improve student learning.