Mike Bloomberg's nomination of Cathie Black as schools chancellor is not only a bad personnel move. It is a symbol of a critical choice we are facing: Are our public schools a place to educate well-rounded citizens for the New York City of tomorrow? Or are they the junior academy of corporate America, oriented around test-taking and the bottom line?
The selection of Ms. Black is, of course, a bad personnel move. I'd like to feel inspired by her substantial business success in the male-dominated world of publishing. But she's totally unqualified for this job, with no background in education, no track record of public service, and no commitment to public education (she herself went to parochial schools, and she sends her children to a private boarding school).
Mayor Bloomberg's secret "selection process" -- in which he apparently considered no other candidates, and never conducted a public search -- itself reeks of contempt for democracy. We
