District Administration - May 2011 - (Page 10)

From the Editor Experience Necessary When Cathie BlaCk Was first nominated to Be neW York CitY sChools chancellor last fall, some predicted the former chairwoman of hearst magazines to last six months, but the prediction ended up being optimistic. ninety-five days after her start date, she is out, and deputy mayor dennis Walcott, an educator, as well as former Ceo and president of the new York Urban league who has long aided mayor Bloomberg in educational matters, is in. Black’s savvy business skills alone were not enough to lead the largest school district in the United states, perhaps unsurprisingly to the many who opposed her. Why the mayor appointed Black into this no-win position, without consulting educators, is a mystery. But the ordeal is yet another example of how prominent the issue of defining effective school leadership has become. among many other topics in this issue, we cover two emerging leadership models. anthony tata, the new superintendent for north Carolina’s largest district, Wake County Public school system, is a former army general and one of four other ex-military officers running U.s. schools. after retiring from the military in 2009, tata was Turnaround principals must help hired as Coo of district of Columbia Public schools by then-chancellor michelle rhee. she credits him teachers and the community at as being a great leader, although tata lacks specific large to adapt quickly to a school education experience. tata believes that there are great similarities between the military and education. going through an overhaul. the school district’s central office was like army headquarters, he says, speaking about dCPs, and principals were the equivalent of colonels. We profile tata and his plans to lead a district swarming with controversy. of schools eligible for $3.5 billion in school improvement Grants this year, 74 percent have chosen the transformational model, one of the four models of President obama’s education turnaround plan. this model requires a new principal and staff for low-achieving schools. in our article on turnaround principals, we report on how there is a shortage of principals who have both the educational experience and the skills necessary to take on this new leadership role. among other things, turnaround principals must help teachers and the community at large to adapt quickly to a school going through an overhaul of instruction, evaluation systems and school operations. We discuss some new training models that help prepare leaders to transform low-achieving schools. every month, we bring you news and ideas to help you become a better leader. this issue highlights how difficult it can be to match leaders with districts, but also how wonderful it can be when those matches result in substantial and positive changes. Judy Faust Hartnett, Editor in Chief jhartnett@districtadministration.com Follow DA_Magazine 10 May 2011 District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - May 2011

District Administration - May 2011
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Conversations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
The Cradle-to-Career Solution
Turnaround Principals
Starving for Recess
Army Strong, Superintendent Savvy
Budgeting Based on Student Needs
Research Center
Books
Product Focus
Products
Superintendent's Insights
Crisis Response
Going Mobile
Professional Opinion

District Administration - May 2011