1. Educational professionals refer to the system of parading candidates for big city superintendent of schools jobs — as Boston is doing right now — as the "circus" or "arena" method of selection. The arena process looks as if it’s designed to include the public in the decision making process. And, while up to a point this is true; it is even truer that the circus method provides the mayor and school committee awarding the job with convenient political cover.
2. If a new school chief doesn’t work out — and there is a high burnout rate for these very demanding jobs — then the local politico (in this case Boston Mayor Marty Walsh) can look the public square in the eye and say with a convincing shrug, “Who knew? We all liked him? Right?” While the paradox of politicians insuring themselves against future attack by appearing to be totally transparent is delicious, you should realize that this baroque trial by stakeholders more often than not compromises the quality of the person ultimately hired to lead a school system.
3. “These arena-type selections are not uncommon in big cities with confrontational political cultures,” said John DeFlaminis, the executive director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Educational Leadership. “They often provide a good measure of a candidate’s grit or stamina or verbal skills. But it’s not the way to get the most qualified person with the vision and ability needed to run a major school system and craft meaningful change.” DeFlaminis is not a classroom theorist. His Center for Educational Leadership routinely contracts to conduct professional searches for school systems in and around Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
4. Because Walsh — without the pretense of a national search — chose white men who were veterans of the police force and fire department to head those vital public safety departments, he was determined to recruit and hire a person of color to lead the Boston Public Schools. At 13 percent, white students are a clear minority in the school system. Seventy-eight percent of the student body is classified as low-income.
5. Although women comprise 25 percent of the nation’s school administrators, the pool of finalists was all male: Dana Beden, superintendent of public schools in Richmond; Tommy Chang, local instructional superintendent in the Los Angeles Unified School District; Pedro Martinez, a former superintendent who began working last month for the state of Nevada; and Guadalupe Guerrero, deputy superintendent of instruction, innovation, and social justice for the San Francisco Unified School District.
6. Among educational professionals in the foundations and graduate schools that furnish ideas and personnel to the Boston Public Schools, there is a general feeling of let down. Few see the four-man field of candidates as outstanding. But neither is there a rush to say that Boston can do better. An exception to this rule is Paul Reville, former Massachusetts Secretary of Education. Reville is currently the Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Speaking on WGBH News' Boston Public Radio, Reville on Thursday said:
"It's not as strong a pool as I had hoped to see. The level of experience isn't as high as I had hoped to see in terms of people having undertaken the kind of tasks that I think we can contemplate here in Boston … We have a field of people, many of whom have some interesting experiences, and I clearly see a lot of potential … Some have done some significant things, but at the same time a number of them are about a decade off in terms of the level of experience that we would actually want to see running the Boston Public Schools."
7. I don’t know if the other three candidates for the Superintendent’s job realize it, but City Hall insiders and knowledgeable schools department staff consider Guadalupe Guerrero as the mayor’s candidate. His candidacy took a glancing blow to the chin on Wednesday when CommonWealth magazine published a piece on its website reminding Bostonians that Guerrero once led a local school that state officials ultimately deemed as failing. Michael Jonas wrote:
8. A perhaps more serious blow to his candidacy arises from Guerrero’s graduate education. Guerrero received two master's degrees from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and from July 2008 until October 2014 was enrolled in the college's educational doctorate program. Guerrero was “terminated” at that time. The School of Education would not say why or what the circumstances of Guerrero’s termination were. According to a spokesperson for Walsh, “The terminology is misleading … He made his own choice to leave … Too much time had lapsed.”
9. While declining to discuss Guerrero’s case or circumstances, Harvard said “Generally speaking, doctoral candidates have seven years to complete the program including the dissertation. If a candidate does not complete in that time, it can be grounds for termination. However, depending on circumstances, candidates can also be given more time. Termination is defined as being involuntary. Withdrawal is defined as being voluntary.”
10. How the Boston School Committee chooses to deal with this remains to be seen. A vote to choose the next superintendent of Boston Public Schools is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3.
