Cathie Black: How can this be what we need? Part 2 – Data vs Kids
[Lynne Winderbaum, retired ESL teacher from JFK, longtime Chapter Leader, and through most of the Bloomberg years, our Bronx UFT HS District Representative, responds to the announcement that Joel Klein is leaving and that Mayor Bloomberg is trying to appoint Cathie Black to replace him. This is part 2 of 3. Click for Part 1. The series will conclude on Sunday.]
The city really does not need another so-called innovator changing for change sake and improving nothing in the end. With the adjusted test scores released in July, our students are at the level of 2002 and the racial achievement gap is as wide as ever. What Klein did not do in eight years, she surely will not do in three. And the risk of continuing his policies will be costly. Cathie Black’s appointment is the illogical extension of the belief that schools are best served by leaders who have never worked with children.
The data that has been the yardstick of measuring the quality of performance in the private sector has not been successfully adapted to the school system and has caused a great deal of collateral damage. Bloomberg, Klein, and Black all understand the beautiful simplicity of comparing this year’s statistics to last year’s. If “New York Magazine” and “Seventeen” had circulation growth and increased advertising revenue this year, they’re doing well!
What has happened when we try to apply this to evaluating schools and personnel? A well-