What a chancellor needs to learn

11-11-2010

Opinion by Pedro Noguera/New York Times

Pedro Noguera is the Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University.

There is nothing wrong with hiring someone who has no prior experience in education if that person brings strong managerial experience to the job. Ms. Black seems to have such experience and I think it’s fair to give her and Mayor Bloomberg the benefit of the doubt. However, the track record of such appointments is mixed. Several districts have hired non-educators as superintendents (e.g. military and corporate leaders), and not all have been successful. The skills required in education are different than those required in other fields. To be an effective educational leader, especially in a city like New York, one must be able to articulate a vision and direction for schools, and have a plan to address the underlying causes of school failure. Being a good communicator also means being able to listen and respond to the concerns of the city’s diverse communities. That is an issue that has been a source of many complaints in New York for the last eight years. (more…)

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