NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein Reflects On 8 Years In Office

After eight years as New York City Schools Chancellor, Joel Klein is stepping down. He sat down with WNYC to talk about his years in office and the sometimes controversial decisions he made as head of the largest school district in the country.

According to WNYC, Klein was the first appointed chancellor after a 2002 law gave the mayor control of the city's public schools. Since then, Klein has opened hundreds of new schools, put a heavier emphasis on standardized testing and shut down low-performing schools across the city.

On this issue of school closures, a hot topic nationwide, Klein insists that closing low-performing schools creates equity. After losing a battle with the teachers union to close 19 schools, Klein's tactics have been criticized.

But Klein insists that the disparities among black, Hispanic and white students have shrunk. He told WNYC:

The charter schools and the new high schools are high schools of choice, charter schools of choice -- overwhelmingly African American and Latino kids. I mean, those are families that didn't have any choice [before].

LISTEN:

Read more about Klein's tenure at WNYC.

Comments

[rockgod]

08:15 AM on 01/04/2011

Is anyone else happy that he is leaving his post?

[Peter Zucker]

11:00 PM on 01/02/2011

He's delusional.

[bnww]

12:47 PM on 01/02/2011

Another [ ] getting over!! Damn shame.

http://www.Educate-Empower.com

[am10]

12:34 PM on 01/02/2011

Go buff your head.

[Bedazio]

12:32 PM on 01/02/2011

The top of his head is WAY too big for the rest of his head.

Please be photoshopped... Please be photoshopped... Please be photoshopped...

[homer9]

12:09 PM on 01/02/2011

First they starved large schools which had the most poor, most ESL, most needy students. Then, they moved in for the kill and closed it, only to reopen it for a charter or a small school with mostly new, young teachers(which also did poorly, if same kids remained to any extent). Now , he has said he wants to get rid of the ATR teachers. These are excessed teachers from those very schools he closed, largely hard working teachers that would have welcomed new ideas, or the opportunity to implement their own new ideas. Also, they are often older teachers who are making larger salaries. No surprise there. So he wants to take away they benefits our union has promised us, if we hold up our end of the bargain, by working hard and with commitment.He and those hedgefund guys, and Gates etc have no idea what they are doing. They get away with wasting huge quantities of money, for disgusting things that dont even reach the students such as for their lobbying .

[JasonJM]

11:26 AM on 01/02/2011

That is one SEXY man.

[Neaguy]

10:58 AM on 01/02/2011

Klein is another in the line of business model advocates who have always controlled schooling in America yet get to call themselves the reformers.

Nothing this guy did---nothing---improved teaching or learning in New York City schools.

It was all business as usual dressed up as reform.


You know what's never been tried? Democratic schooling. How about that for a change?
I mean, I just thought I'd ask.

[Swedenworks]

12:18 PM on 01/02/2011

The problem is that in this market place of ideas only the ideas of those who pay to play get displayed in the shelf. Just look at even HP. When have the really headlined a look at Klien that was not in the least partially favorable. Same goes with his boss. For democratic schooling, you'd actually have to have a real debate without all the scapegoating and fallacies. We know how that goes.

[CMB1969]

10:02 AM on 01/02/2011

8 years is impressive in that post--when I lived in NYC in the '90s the rapid turnover rate of schools chancellors was a cliche.

[Cougar29]

09:08 AM on 01/02/2011

Oy Joel! Bubbe sez tanks fur outlawling duh creches!

[13champlain]

08:34 AM on 01/02/2011

I liked him in the Harry Potter movies

[bigredhandyman]

05:33 AM on 01/02/2011

What are you talking about? Bloomberg''s friend, Klein has done a lot!

All our kids will be judged solely on a test they take rather than learning (hasn't that been tried for decades now?) and Klein successfully dismantled the NYC school system, closed down several failing schools last year (almost half of which were schools he opened - oopsie) replaced the dismantled system with nothing and then negotiated a 300 million dollar deal with a company owned by Rupert Murdoch to produce digital text books just before leaving for his new job at the last minute which is -- wait for it -- consultant for Rupert Murdoch.

Niiicccceeee.

[democles]

04:28 PM on 01/05/2011

That's the game right now. Corporations are racing to get on the government dole. But first you have to privatize the schools so there is no accountability. It's a sick world we live in.

[researcher]

03:46 AM on 01/02/2011

Corporate America’s ignorance is coming to the educational system.

Worked great for the big three. Also worked great on Wall Street, banks and insurance i.e. not.

Pay for performance is so corrupt they gave themselves bonuses for failing.

It is based on a rating system that does not pass the simplest of logic tests.

I.e. every teacher needs to be above average in their performance or else. Impossible to do as Deming stated over and over, but few listened.

Or as the whiz kid Gates stated make all of our teachers in the top ten percent of performance. Neat trick but impossible of course to do.

Teachers you are in for the ride of your life. You are about to experience what other Americans have experienced since pay for performance came on to the scene. The bottom line is money and lots of it by corp America. They smell education and social security money. Wall street cannot wait to get their hands on the social security money. Big bonuses lie waiting with that money.

These folks like rhee and black's idea of systemic thinking is to rate you either above average or below average or for a few of you in the top ten percent. You as a teacher will figure out how to fudge the numbers. You will become very creative and divided as this insanity puts teacher against teacher for ratings.

Early results positive, long term a self made disaster.

[billybobt]

01:23 AM on 01/02/2011

Yeah, we figured out how to cook the books in schools. Pretty huge success. Its just a numbers game. Screw your kids.

[EmmaNYC]

01:00 AM on 01/02/2011

A corporate fraud who did everything in his power to destroy public education in New York City. The best thing I can say about him is, 'good riddance.'