Photo by bsoist

On Thursday, Sommer related the news from the National Report Card that the District of Columbia Public Schools system made some incredible gains at the 4th grade reading levels. This afternoon, @ebertchicago picked up on the results, tweeting some high praise for D.C. schools czar Michelle Rhee: “D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s reforms are paying off: District students LED THE NATION in reading gains–across all ethnic lines.”

That’s high praise indeed! Ebert’s been riding a major wave since appearing in a powerful feature in Esquire last month. Of course, Ebert’s province is the cinema, and while the District schools system provides for a lot of drama, it all takes place beyond the silver screen. So should credit for the boost go to Rhee’s shape-up-or-ship-out policies? Did she earn the thumbs up from Ebert?