That was the week that was

11-16-2010

Blog by Diane Ravitch/Education Week

Dear Deborah, What an amazing week in New York City! I was babysitting my 4-year-old grandson on Nov. 9, when my cell phone starting ringing as reporters called to say that Joel Klein was stepping down as chancellor of the city's public schools. At first, I didn't believe it, because I had heard the rumor many times in the past. But this time, it was real. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced at a press conference that Klein was leaving after eight years in office and would be replaced by a prominent business leader. The mayor decided to replace Klein with Cathleen Black, the chairman of the Hearst Corporation. Unfortunately, Ms. Black has no education experience, but the mayor saw that as a plus. What he wanted was a manager, and education experience was not important. I decided to write a blog about the history of the New York City superintendency, rather than join the chorus of people applauding or condemning the mayor's choice. Although the mayor believes that Klein served longer than any superintendent in the city's history, this is not accurate: Three served longer, one for 20 years, one for 11 years, and a third for 10 years. You can read the history here. The most startling fact is that New York City had five superintendents in the first half of the 20th century, and 18 superintendents in the second half! Mayoral control, which was enacted by the New York state legislature in 2002, brought stability, but at a price. The price was that executive decisions are made without any democratic process. (more…)

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