Michelle and Michelle Talked Schools

Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee gave up a few new details today on the Obamas' search for a school for daughters Sasha and Malia. Pressed by WTOP's Mark Plotkin and Mark Seagraves, Rhee said she received a call from Michelle Obama and "gave a lot of information about a number of schools I thought would be good options."

Rhee declined to describe the conversation, but said she did not give the soon-to-be First Lady the hard sell because she believed the Obamas had "the right to make that decision without pressure."

As most of the world now knows, they chose Sidwell Friends School.

So which schools did Rhee tout? First among them was Key Elementary in the Palisades, which won a Blue Ribbon this year from the U.S. Dept. of Education for its superior academic record, which includes more than 50 percent of its students at the advanced level on standardized math tests. Rhee mentioned three other Northwest schools: Mann and Lafayette Elementary and Oyster-Adams Bilingual School. She also said Langdon Educational Center, a Pre-K-8 school in Northeast, was "incredibly strong."

Bill Turque