(Guest Post by Matthew Ladner)
NYC Chancellor Joel Klein has announced his resignation to be replaced by Cathie Black of Hearst Newspapers.
I don’t know much about Ms. Black other than the fact that she apparently does not shy away from tremendous challenges. Newspapers in the age of a print death spiral and urban schools. What does one do for an encore- Middle East peace?
Early in the JPGB days, I wrote a post on Klein and his critics. I took a skeptical view of the Superheroic Superintendent model of reform. I have changed my mind. His run lasted 8 years, and NAEP scores improved by impressive margins. Mayoral takeovers still don’t strike me as a very promising strategy, but Klein did produce results.
I wish Klein had another 8 years in him, but he leaves NYC schools significantly better than when he found them- a rare accomplishment for an urban superintendent.
Jay P. Greene's Blog 