New Head of NYC Schools Launches 5-borough Tour (NY)
January 4, 2011
Former Hearst Magazines chairwoman Cathie Black started work Monday as chancellor of the nation’s largest public school system, vowing to put the "pedal to the metal" as she visited schools in each of New York City’s five boroughs.
"For me, this is a dream. It’s a dream job, a dream opportunity, a chance to make a difference," Black said at Public School 262 in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, the first stop on her tour.
At least 60 journalists tagged along as Black and Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited classrooms at P.S. 262, which is also known as El Hajj Malik El Shab azz School after Malcolm X.
Black knelt on the floor next to fourth-grader Aliyah Perez during an English lesson and later praised Aliyah’s teacher, Stephanie Forcer, as "a very clear, strong, effective teacher."
Bloomberg announced in November that he had chosen Black to succeed Chancellor Joel Klein, who has left to take a position with News Corp.
"Cathie Black’s going to be, I hope, the best chancellor we’ve ever had — taking the title away from Joel," Bloomberg said Monday.
Despite Bloomberg’s backing, many New Yorkers opposed the appointment of a publishing executive with no background as an educator to head the school system. A Quinnipiac University poll showed New York City voters believed by a 2-1 margin that Black was not qualified for the job.
Opponents filed three lawsuits challenging the state education commissioner’s decision to clear the way for Black to take the post by waiving the required education credentials; their petitions were denied last week by Justice Gerald Connolly of the state Supreme Court in Albany.
Black was largely absent from public view in the weeks after Bloomberg announced her appointment, though she visited about 20 schools.
There was no sign of opposition Monday as Black sat in on classes and met with small groups of students.
"It’s a privilege to be here and I need your wishes for good luck too," she told students at North Queens Community High School, a so-called transfer school where failing students get intensive counseling to steer them back on track.
"Having the chancellor here makes me think people really care about second-chance schools," said Alain Francois, 19. "It makes me feel good."
Black passed through a metal detector at the High School for Violin and Dance, one of four small high schools sharing a building that formerly housed one Bronx high school. She watched a dance class and listened to violin students play variations on "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
At Democracy Prep Charter School in Harlem, Black observed a ninth-grade Korean class. The charter school’s founder, Seth Andrew, said the school offers Korean to give students a leg up when they apply to college and because "the Korean culture is one that shares our value, which is that the harder you work, the more successful you are."
Asked about charter schools versus traditional public schools, Black said, "We’re trying many different things. We want to keep the pedal to the metal, we want to keep the reforms going, and we want to be as innovative, as positive and as encouraging as we possibly can be."
Her last stop was at the Richard H. Hungerford School on Staten Island, which serves students with special needs.
New York City’s 1.1 million-pupil public school system faces daunting problems including budget cuts and contentious labor relations.
United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, did not join Monday’s tour but said he met with Black last month.
"I am hoping that Ms. Black develops an understanding about what really happens inside of a classroom," Mulgrew said. "I’m more than happy to try to work with anyone to try to move things forward."