Joel Klein Resigns: What's Next for NYC Schools?

Like many others, I was completely surprised when I learned of Joel Klein's resignation as New York City Schools Chancellor. He's labored long and hard in the nation's largest school system and has achieved some noteworthy success, particularly the large network of small high schools established on his watch. (Ironically, my colleague John Tulenko is preparing a PBS NewsHour report on those schools right now and actually interviewed the Chancellor a few days ago.)

Unlike his protégé Michelle Rhee, Chancellor Klein is leaving on his own terms, to return to the business world he came from. He has accepted a big job with the News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch's organization. His detractors are going to have fun with that.

What's fascinating is Mayor Bloomberg's choice of a successor, another successful executive from the business world, in fact from publishing (Klein came from Bertlesmann). Catherine Black ran the Hearst empire, and now she's coming into the schools, a novice at age 66.

I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that Mayor Bloomberg never even considered handing the reins to a traditional educator.

But Ms. Black is going to have to do what Joel Klein was not able to accomplish, and that is transform the city's schools into 21st Century institutions, places where students learn to ask questions, not simply regurgitate answers. Is there a road map for that work? I believe there is, but I'd rather hear from others on that.

Watch Joel Klein talk about the job of NYC Schools Chancellor after his first three years on the job in 2005.

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John Merrow's new book, Below C Level, is now available on Amazon.
He blogs regularly at Taking Note, where this post originally appeared.

 

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Comments

[John Thompson]

10:13 AM on 11/11/2010

Here's the plan to "transform the city's schools into 21st Century institutions, places where students learn to ask questions, not simply regurgitate answers."

Keep hiring non-educators that force teachers to require destructive teach-to-the-test, non-stop test prep. Make bad news disappear by encouraging kids regurgitate answers on "credit recovery" tutorials. Then hire great PR firms to convince the non-educators on the top to believe they are preparing kids for the 21st century.

[dloitz]

10:19 PM on 11/10/2010

I am sadden by this... what a waste... honestly.... there are many out there that have a understanding of the complexity of public education. There is a place in the conversation for the business minded, but as part of the team not as the leader. We don't need more managers in educations reform we need leaders.... see the story of Elliot Shapiro in Net Henoff's Our Children our Dying.... or Deb Meier's work, or Ron Berger, or at least someone who believes in public education and doesn't send their kids to boarding schools(really...doesn't even live with her kids most of the years of their lives)...is she even a NYer.... hmmm just sad! What a waste.

[Gary Stager]

02:03 PM on 11/10/2010

Mr. Merrow:

Why use "traditional" instead of "qualified" when you say, "I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that Mayor Bloomberg never even considered handing the reins to a traditional educator?"

[Gerry Segal]

12:27 PM on 11/10/2010

I taught in the south Bronx 45 years ago. Same problems...different players. Nobody cares about the kids. This song I wrote in 1966 best states what I feel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u46Uwa6KMQM

[carmazon]

11:50 AM on 11/10/2010

Here's one model- www.p21.org Ironically the "business" approach of "accountablity rules" has led to increased focus on improving results on standardized tests (Klein's and Rhee's holy grail ) which at this point anchors education to outmoded approaches of learning that don't get students to "ask questions, not simply regurgitate answers."

[Gary Stager]

02:01 PM on 11/10/2010

The P21 stuff is a bunch of pro-business and testing platitudes written by marketing executives at a few dozen competing high-tech firms. There is nothing of value here.