New York City public school chief Joel Klein and school reform advocate Eric Nadelstern challenged a packed Dodds Auditorium audience last night to drive a transformation in New York City public education.
Expressing the need for "radical change" within the system, Klein encouraged Americans to abandon current excuses for public education's underproduction and use existing resources to create change, particularly in the fight to eliminate educational gaps based on race and family income.
He pointed to three necessary transformations of public education's culture: moving from excuses to accountability, compliance to performance and uniformity to differentiation.
Both Klein, who became chancellor of the New York City Department of Education in 2002, and Nadelstern, the CEO of the Empowerment Schools Initiative, placed primary responsibility on the school system to increase productivity. "We are accountable for the work we do," Klein said.
Present in the audience was Marc Sternberg '95, now the principal of the Bronx Lab School in New York.
Both Klein and Nadelstern referenced Sternberg throughout the evening, praising him for increasing student retention without using additional resources.
During Klein's early years as chancellor, he targeted a Bronx school with a dismal 37 percent graduation rate, tore it down and replaced it with six new small schools, one of which is Bronx Lab. Now, policy officials expect a 90 percent graduate rate from Sternberg's school.
This "culture of performance," Klein said, depends in large part on school officials' willingness to be innovative and depart from existing systems of public educations. "Talent matters," he said.
A central topic in the discussion was the "Autonomy Zone" that Klein and other education officials implemented in 2004 to allow schools to develop independently.
Twenty-six NYC public schools comprised the initial Autonomy Zone population, with the principals of each school signing what Nadelstern called "performance agreements." These agreements allowed principals to commit voluntarily to high levels of accomplishment within their schools.
When four schools failed to reach their targets at the end of the school year, Nadelstern said, it was up to the teachers at those schools to create ideas for improvement. Otherwise, the Department of Education would institute a "personnel change." All four schools reached their targets the following year.
Another recent development within the Department of Education is this fall's creation of 322 "Empowerment Schools."
Each school has $250,000 in funding and signs its own performance agreement. Klein and Nadelstern hope this development will further increase the school system's efficiency.
The need for change in public education is deep and widespread, Klein said, but "I've never had a better job or a greater opportunity."
Read More
‘A brilliant young contemporary writer and a beautiful human being’: Remembering Lauren Blackburn ’26
Victoria Davies and Caitlyn TabladaBlackburn was found deceased by authorities on April 25, several days after he was reported missing. He was 23 years old at the time of his death and is remembered by friends and mentors as a brilliant writer, voracious learner, and loving friend. A family obituary said he passed away after a “courageous battle with bipolar disorder.”
Blackburn was found deceased by authorities on April 25, several days after he was reported missing. He was 23 years old at the time of his death and is remembered by friends and mentors as a brilliant writer, voracious learner, and loving friend. A family obituary said he passed away after a “courageous battle with bipolar disorder.”
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.