Interview with William Hite
by Benjamin Herold on Jul 05 2012 Posted in Latest news
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| Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2005 |
This is an edited transcript of Benjamin Herold'sinterview with William Hite.
Herold: What impression did Philadelphia make on you during this process?
Hite: I was surprised with the level of passion that was on display…I was pleasantly surprised with the passion that was demonstrated by all the individuals there around making sure that there were quality schools in all of the neighborhoods, regardless of location of those neighborhoods, or historical experiences, or anything else. The fact that so many individuals wanted quality schools in their neighborhoods, that was impressive.
Herold: I think many people in Philadelphia are wondering – are you brave or are you crazy for taking on this assignment?
Hite: I think it is probably a little bit of both. However…the challenges in Philadelphia are not atypical to the challenges of many large, urban areas. And if you think of the experience now in Chicago, and New York, and LA, many of the same problems persist. We’ve had those problems here in Prince George’s County and have really been able to use that time period as a way to think differently about how our young people should be educated.
Herold: What can you tell us about the kind of leader that Philadelphia is getting?