Photo by Fred Lewis

Long known for being blunt in her assessments of D.C. public schools and education reform more broadly, Chancellor Michelle Rhee was surprisingly diplomatic in an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press today that dealt with the issue.

During a discussion focused on education reform across the U.S. moderated by host David Gregory, Rhee spoke of the need for “tough decisions” while lamenting some of the “pushback” she had faced in closing D.C. schools and firing hundreds of teachers. But unlike in past comments to national media outlets, Rhee remained restrained in her opinions, refusing to state whether or not she would stay on under a Vince Gray mayoralty and instead admitting, “Education reform can continue whether I am there or not.”

That alone may have been the newsmaker of the day, seeing that Rhee and Mayor Adrian Fenty painted a much bleaker picture of what would happen to education reform if during the District’s mayoral campaign. It also showed a more circumspect Rhee, who came under fire when she called the results of the D.C. primary “devastating.” (Rhee and Gray met this week, though nothing definite came from the long-awaited summit.)

Rhee was joined by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Detroit Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb (who was also D.C. City Administrator under Mayor Anthony Williams), and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.