Everything that’s wrong with the contemporary education reform movement—wrapped up in a single, noxious term.

If you have managed to live your life so far withoutonce uttering the expression “cage busting,” alas your luck has run out. The first rule of cage busting is that you have to talk about cage busting—a lot. But what does this mysterious term mean, and from whence did it come? Reader: I give you Dr. Rick Hess, the designated intellectual of the education reform movement, and expert on all things cage busting.

#cagebusting 101


Just as unions stifle our public schools and prevent them from being excellent and innovative, the dreaded education bureaucracy keeps many of our best leaders from becoming the great leaders their paychecks indicate that they should be. In other words, the most excellent leaders don’t just wallow in the ‘culture of can’t,’ their cages of ‘good enough’ lined with hundreds of pages taken directly from the bloated union contract. They bust out of, blast through and blow up the cage, thus demonstrating their cage-busting leadership and entitling them to earn excellent salaries, and, when they tire of the cage-busting life, hefty speaking fees about, what else? Cage busting.

Cage free 


But who are these fearless cage busters, and how can we purchase their memoirs? Fortunately they are gathered at the American Enterprise Institute at this very moment to discuss the importance of cage busting leadership (or #cagebusting as an army of young AEI staffers is tweeting enthusiastically) in education. Alas, you will recognize plenty of familiar faces, although I’m not sure that “cage busting” is how I would describe their particular leadership styles. Let’s take a look shall we?

Michelle Rhee: Page hustling


Michelle Rhee is the original cage buster, if by “cage busting” you mean a take-no-prisoners-approach to leadership that leaves nothing but eraser bits in its wake. Which means that we can all learn a lot from her inspiring style, and from her new advertorial, which is so concerned with putting students first that they are literally right in the title. Alas, these days Rhee is hustling pages sans some of her favorite adjectives. A free copy of Dr. Hess’ book to the eagle-eyed reader who can ID what’s missing from this Rhee bio.

Cage buster and big earner Chris Barbic.

Christopher Barbic: Wage boosting


When last we encountered Mr. Barbic, this excellent Teach for America alum was earning a hefty salary, pulling down $18K a month to head up the Achievement School District in Memphis, more than the governor of Tennessee. Good news: he’s still earning mad rephorm cheddar. Which turns out to be another cage-busting lesson. You see, cage-busting leaders excel at getting paid…

Deborah Gist: Cage rattling


One sign that you are an outstanding cage buster is the degree to which people resist your dictatorial dictates. To witness first class cage rattling cage busting in action, we need travel no further than Rhode Island, where Education Commissioner Deborah Gist has just challenged superintendents to an old-fashioned cage wrestling match:

In a harshly worded letter, Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist has alerted Rhode Island’s school superintendents that she will take severe action against any district that is using seniority, job fairs or bumping to assign, keep or lay off teachers. Gist threatens to impose sanctions “up to and including loss of certification;” taking districts to court; or withholding state education aid unless they comply with her interpretation of a key education regulation called the Basic Education Program.

OK then—there’s some cage busting for you.I’m guessing that Ms. Gist gets paid really well, and that’s she’s got a memoir in the works. Or that she will, just as soon as she gets done bustin’ out of that cage.

Kaya Henderson: Cage closing


The great thing about cage busting is that just because the original cage buster is forced to step down, herdesignated replacement cage bustress can continue to implement the exact same cage-busting policies with equally excellent results. Or she could just close one in ten of the public schools that she is in charge of overseeing. While in some fields this might count as “giving up,” that is apparently not the case in education reform where it is hailed as bold, cage-busting leadership. 

Adrian Manuel: Stage dressing


The principal of Kingston High School, in Kingston, NY, Manuel stands out on this panel as actually knowing something about how to lead a school. Also, he is unique in that the letters TFA appear nowhere in his bio, and that he once attended the poor, minority school that he now oversees. Which, when you think about it, is the total opposite of the imported excellence that is TFA. But who cares about a few irrelevant biographical details—how is Principal Manuel at cage busting? Reader: I couldn’t tell you. I still have no idea what it means.

Send tips, comments or cage-busting definitions to tips@edushyster.com.