Klein Out, Black In.
Does She Know How
To Teach the 3 R's?
Mayor Bloomberg has appointed a new Schools Chancellor to take the place of Joel Klein, who resigned suddenly after eight years to take a senior position with News Corporation, where he will work for Rupert Murdoch. The new Chancellor, subject to approval by the State Education Commissioner, is Cathie Black, chairwoman of Hearst Magazines.
Ms. Black has no experience in educating children, but in today's world there is some doubt as to whether that is a liability, an asset, or irrelevant. One would imagine that if one were seeking to fill the most important school superintendency in the United States, some person could be found who was both a brilliant manager and had some experience in public or private education. The appointment was not required to have been announced within minutes of the news of Joel Klein's resignation to enter the field of publishing.
The new Chancellor will take office in the old Tweed courthouse, at 52 Chambers Street, where Mayor Bloomberg moved the staff of the Department of Education prior to selling its castle at 110 Livingston Street, which is now a condominium.
She can fill her staff with professionals, with degrees and technical qualifications, but how will she know which ones to believe? She has an extremely difficult task to perform, and we certainly wish that she is able to do it well. The bottom line here, however, will no longer be corporate profits, but children educated and prepared to succeed in the competitive world we are experiencing today.
Perhaps, with the current state of knowledge, no one has a clear picture of how to teach children to read and write the way their parents learned. In that case, Ms. Black will be an interesting diversion. It will take up to a year for her to learn her way around, but her managerial skills have been demonstrated in the private sector, and she should be a quick study as she settles down in Tweed.
Her success will depend on the strength, competence and different views of the people around her. We will watch carefully as she makes her choices. One thing that is clear is that there is mayoral control of the schools, at least at the top. Ms. Black does not come from a political club, but neither does she come from a schoolhouse. She is a high flyer in the executive suite, and her success is amplified by her gender and the bias she may have had to overcome.
What we will learn in the next years is whether her managerial abilities are transferable from the boardroom to the classroom. If they are, so much the better. But it is also possible that her personal skills, great as they probably are, may be unable to transform a system with over a million pupils, well over a hundred thousand teachers, and many more thousands of other employees.
The problem may not be in management systems or employee development. They just might not be prescribing the best way to teach. Schools of education are known not to attract the best students. Often what they learn is psycho-babble, with a heavy dose of political correctness and laced with deconstructionism. For one person to have a significant impact on a confused and divided culture would require great strength, character and judgment. It would also help to know something about education.
Mayor Bloomberg is likely to be de facto Chancellor, just as Mayor Giuliani was his own Police Commissioner, no matter who held the title. Bloomberg has made history by appointing the first woman chancellor, just as President Clinton appointed the first woman secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, and President Bush the younger appointed the first black man, Colin Powell, and the first black woman, Condoleezza Rice. Did these precedent-shattering selections bring about world peace? Well, they didn't bring about war, except when the President wanted it, in which case it began. The point is that symbols, striking as they may be, often do not affect the course of history. So it is likely to be in this case.
If I were State Education Commissioner David Steiner, I would spend time talking to Cathie Black and exploring her attitude and rationale for taking the job. Twenty-seven years ago one of Steiner's predecessors, Gordon Ambach, blundered badly by rejecting a waiver for Robert F. Wagner, Jr., the ablest public servant of his generation. Whether he made that decision because Mayor Koch had previously called him "pigheaded" on another issue, or whether he was channeling the Executive Chamber, has never been determined.
Waivers were granted by another Commissioner, Richard Mills, however, for Harold Levy (named by the Board of Education over Mayor Giuliani's strong objections) and Joel Klein (named by Mayor Bloomberg). It is likely that the mayor has already secured consent for Ms. Black's waiver, but if not, her membership in the corporate, managerial and financial elite should squelch any doubters. Also, there is no real evidence that anyone with paper credentials in education would be any better at dealing with the enormous challenges that Ms. Black is likely to face.
We do not denigrate her; she must have been good to achieve the success she has enjoyed. General Eisenhower had no civilian experience, and he turned out to be a reasonably good President. The job she faces is in some ways more difficult than his; so far, despite the press releases and selective statistics, no one really knows how to do it. Good luck, Ms. Black. You will need it.
StarQuest #717 11.10.2010 919 words
Showing posts with label Rudy Giuliani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rudy Giuliani. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tragedy Amidst Beauty
Tree Branch Falls at the Zoo,
Infant Killed, Mother Injured
The tragic death of a six-month-old baby on Saturday just outside the Central Park Zoo was the result of a major limb of a honey locust tree which suddenly fell about thirty-five feet. The infant was being held by her mother when the falling branches struck both. The tree was said to be in full leaf, which made its branches even heavier than they might otherwise have been.
The sad news received enormous media attention, because of the death of an innocent infant and the celebrity of Central Park, a place of great public importance, both historic and scenic. Millions of people are familiar with the park, and when something happens there - good or bad - it is as if it had happened to them.
The park, which is owned by the City of New York, has been managed since 2000 by the Central Park Conservancy, a thirty-year-old non-profit that has raised on its own about $300 million to repair, support and maintain the 843-acre park. It is unprecedented in the universe of parks and recreation for a private charitable organization to contribute so much to a public park. The conservancy acts under the direction of the Commissioner of Parks & Recreation, a mayoral appointee.
The coverage of the accident varied in three New York City dailies. The Times' story, by Michael Grynbaum on pA18 today, was headed ACCIDENT AT PARK PUTS FOCUS ON ITS TREES. The lede:
"The accident occurred on a glorious, postcard-ready summer afternoon in New York, free of the usual culprits of lightning or snow. A large, healthy tree branch, 30 feet above a well-traveled path just outside the Central Park Zoo, snapped, fell and killed a 6-month-old girl as horrified visitors looked on.
"The accident, which occurred in one of the park's most popular locales, could be viewed as a freak occurrence. But it is also the latest in a string of deadly episodes that have plagued the park in the past year, all involving tree branches that abruptly plummeted to earth, killing or seriously injuring passers-by."
The News emphasized responsibility for the disaster. Across the top of p6, a banner read: 'Baby's Death Sparks Probe of Park's Arbor Upkeep'. The story was written by Ruby Cramer and Helen Kennedy. It was headed: WHO'S IN CHARGE OF KILLER TREE? Their lede:
"A BABY IS DEAD. A mother is hospitalized. And still no one can say who was responsible for maintaining a tree after one of its falling branches struck them at the Central Park Zoo."
The Post assigned three reporters to the story, Lachlan Cartwright, Sally Goldenberg and Leonard Greene. The article ran on p6, accompanied by a picture of the mother and child and a photograph of the tree. "THE FAMILY IS IN SHOCK", Grief Amid Tree-Snap Probe. The lede:
"Heartsick relatives of an infant knocked out of her mother's arms and killed by a tree branch at the Central Park Zoo comforted each other yesterday as city officials puzzled over the horrifying tragedy."
Steps can be taken to protect park visitors. More frequent inspections of trees could help. There should be a type of sonogram that you can use to tap a tree trunk to see you what is inside - solid mass, decay, or a large hole. If such a device does not now exist, it should be invented.
Recalling my experience as Parks Commissioner with regard to falling trees, the date of March 6, 1997 is seared into my memory. It was that morning that a large tree in Queens unexpectedly toppled on a car taking four girls to parochial school. The tree fell just as the girls passed under it, and all four were killed. Two of the four were sisters.
I went to the scene at once and was horrified. The huge tree was lying across the road, the car pinned beneath it. A few seconds earlier or later and the girls would have escaped injury. Mayor Giuliani came to the place of the accident, and then went to the hospital to console the bereaved parents and relatives of the girls.
Of course, nothing could alter the tragedy we had just seen, but the Mayor was at his best in situations like this, doing whatever he could to alleviate the suffering of the families. The girls are at peace, but the parents will suffer from this disaster for the rest of their lives.
Other instant tragedies are the result of lightning strikes, flash floods, automobile or aircraft accidents, hurricanes and tornadoes, and violent assaults and murders. Yet there is something so primitive and terrifying when an object falls from the sky and strikes someone dead.
It is a natural impulse to assign blame, and sometimes there is human culpability, but on many occasions, the old description of "acts of God" is applicable, although it is not clear why God would act in such an unjust and precipitous manner taking the lives of innocent individuals and wreaking havoc on their families. Believers accept the inexplicable, doubters do not.
Infant Killed, Mother Injured
The tragic death of a six-month-old baby on Saturday just outside the Central Park Zoo was the result of a major limb of a honey locust tree which suddenly fell about thirty-five feet. The infant was being held by her mother when the falling branches struck both. The tree was said to be in full leaf, which made its branches even heavier than they might otherwise have been.
The sad news received enormous media attention, because of the death of an innocent infant and the celebrity of Central Park, a place of great public importance, both historic and scenic. Millions of people are familiar with the park, and when something happens there - good or bad - it is as if it had happened to them.
The park, which is owned by the City of New York, has been managed since 2000 by the Central Park Conservancy, a thirty-year-old non-profit that has raised on its own about $300 million to repair, support and maintain the 843-acre park. It is unprecedented in the universe of parks and recreation for a private charitable organization to contribute so much to a public park. The conservancy acts under the direction of the Commissioner of Parks & Recreation, a mayoral appointee.
The coverage of the accident varied in three New York City dailies. The Times' story, by Michael Grynbaum on pA18 today, was headed ACCIDENT AT PARK PUTS FOCUS ON ITS TREES. The lede:
"The accident occurred on a glorious, postcard-ready summer afternoon in New York, free of the usual culprits of lightning or snow. A large, healthy tree branch, 30 feet above a well-traveled path just outside the Central Park Zoo, snapped, fell and killed a 6-month-old girl as horrified visitors looked on.
"The accident, which occurred in one of the park's most popular locales, could be viewed as a freak occurrence. But it is also the latest in a string of deadly episodes that have plagued the park in the past year, all involving tree branches that abruptly plummeted to earth, killing or seriously injuring passers-by."
The News emphasized responsibility for the disaster. Across the top of p6, a banner read: 'Baby's Death Sparks Probe of Park's Arbor Upkeep'. The story was written by Ruby Cramer and Helen Kennedy. It was headed: WHO'S IN CHARGE OF KILLER TREE? Their lede:
"A BABY IS DEAD. A mother is hospitalized. And still no one can say who was responsible for maintaining a tree after one of its falling branches struck them at the Central Park Zoo."
The Post assigned three reporters to the story, Lachlan Cartwright, Sally Goldenberg and Leonard Greene. The article ran on p6, accompanied by a picture of the mother and child and a photograph of the tree. "THE FAMILY IS IN SHOCK", Grief Amid Tree-Snap Probe. The lede:
"Heartsick relatives of an infant knocked out of her mother's arms and killed by a tree branch at the Central Park Zoo comforted each other yesterday as city officials puzzled over the horrifying tragedy."
Steps can be taken to protect park visitors. More frequent inspections of trees could help. There should be a type of sonogram that you can use to tap a tree trunk to see you what is inside - solid mass, decay, or a large hole. If such a device does not now exist, it should be invented.
Recalling my experience as Parks Commissioner with regard to falling trees, the date of March 6, 1997 is seared into my memory. It was that morning that a large tree in Queens unexpectedly toppled on a car taking four girls to parochial school. The tree fell just as the girls passed under it, and all four were killed. Two of the four were sisters.
I went to the scene at once and was horrified. The huge tree was lying across the road, the car pinned beneath it. A few seconds earlier or later and the girls would have escaped injury. Mayor Giuliani came to the place of the accident, and then went to the hospital to console the bereaved parents and relatives of the girls.
Of course, nothing could alter the tragedy we had just seen, but the Mayor was at his best in situations like this, doing whatever he could to alleviate the suffering of the families. The girls are at peace, but the parents will suffer from this disaster for the rest of their lives.
Other instant tragedies are the result of lightning strikes, flash floods, automobile or aircraft accidents, hurricanes and tornadoes, and violent assaults and murders. Yet there is something so primitive and terrifying when an object falls from the sky and strikes someone dead.
It is a natural impulse to assign blame, and sometimes there is human culpability, but on many occasions, the old description of "acts of God" is applicable, although it is not clear why God would act in such an unjust and precipitous manner taking the lives of innocent individuals and wreaking havoc on their families. Believers accept the inexplicable, doubters do not.
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