Cut One Head Off, and Another Grows

The resignation and rapid replacement of NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is surprising, but likely not meaningful.  Frankly, even with him selling whatever remaining shreds of integrity he may have to Rupert Murdoch, the Post can't really get any worse. More to the point, Mayor Bloomberg approved of Klein, and approves his replacement, what's-her-name (who probably attended school sometime, somewhere and is therefore qualified to run the nation's largest school system).  The likelihood of any change in policy hovers around nil.

Sure, we won't have Joel Klein to kick around anymore, but he's hanging around until the end of the year, to offer guidance to the newest non-educator handpicked by the richest man in New York City to run schools his kids would not attend on a bet.  The new chancellor's kids were educated in private boarding schools, so it makes perfect sense.  Yet another person running schools not good enough for her family to patronize.

Here's what it means for teachers--nothing whatsoever.  The idiotic baseless policies Bloomberg loves will continue.  Bill Gates will continue to decide what's good for 1.1 million schoolchildren, and the pointless and demoralizing school closings will continue as planned.  The baseless value-added nonsense will be pushed by a new chancellor with no education experience, and the pipe dreams and silver bullets that typify the plans of this administration will go on unabated.

In short, meet the new boss, same as the old boss, now with more hair but spouting the same absurdities.