Controversial and unpopular NYC Schools Chancellor Cathie Black is stepping down after only three months on the job. Appointed by Mayor Bloomberg, over vociferous public protest, Black seemed an unlikely choice from the start. She has zero background in education and made her name as a publishing executive. It didn’t help her win over hearts and minds of the New York school community in one of her first public speaking appearances when she suggested birth control as the cure for the city’s serious school overcrowding problem. Her last reported approval rating was a chilly 17 percent. Bloomberg went to court and bent some rules to get his appointee installed. But apparently the people have spoken and Black is on her way out.
She will be replaced by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott who was once the president of the board of education.
This comes on the heels of another fall from grace by another big name ed reform poster woman, Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of the D.C. school district (and member of the Broad Foundation board of directors). Rhee’s alleged record of academic success during her controversial and very public tenure at D.C. has come under investigation. USA Today reporters have uncovered a pattern of erasures of student test answers in 103 schools which resulted in test score inflation. (Michelle Rhee: education reform huckster — the myth that schools are best run like businesses is emphatically demolished, Salon, April 6, 2010.)
How this scandal, which cuts to the heart of the credibility of Rhee’s national reputation for ed reform success, might affect Rhee’s newest venture, political lobbying effort StudentsFirst, remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, over in Rockford, Ill., controversial and unpopular School Superintedent LaVonne Sheffield (Broad Superintendents Academy class of 2002) was served with papers this morning in a defamation lawsuit, and rumors are circulating that she may be out soon too. BREAKING NEWS (as of 4/7/11): Sheffield has apparently resigned, reports the Rock River Times (and various readers in our Comments section below. Thanks for the heads-up everyone! — sp.).
All three superintendents have ties to the major moneyed ed reform players like the Broad Foundation or Michael Bloomberg. Not a good couple of weeks for the corporate ed reform crowd. But a potentially great couple of weeks for public school communities and the truth.
— Sue p.
Seattle Education 
Thanks Sharon for the heads up. Rockford used Hazard.
They had contenders for the position and then suddenly Sheffield and Theresa Saunders from East St. Louis were the front runners. Not much of a choice. Don’t know whatever happened to the other eligible candidates. They are probably happily doing a good job wherever they are.
Looks like Ackerman’s days are numbered in Philly. This was just on Philly.com: A state representative from Northeast Philadelphia who has criticized Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman will call for her removal on Thursday.
“Every day she is there she is doing irreparable harm to the school district,” State Rep. Michael McGeehan, D-Phila., said Wednesday night.
McGeehan said he will call on Gov. Corbett to urge the Philadelphia School Reform Commission to fire Ackerman.
“I’m going to call on the governor to call on the SRC to terminate her contract immediately,” McGeehan said. “It serves no one person — save her — to stay one day longer.”
Could be folks are starting to wake up!
To Seattle and Rockford: If your districts hire a firm to do the superintendent search, keep a close on who it is. I’m sure I don’t need to say this to you guys, but be loud about demanding you DO NOT want anyone trained by Broad or who is affiliated with the Broad Foundation. There are plenty of other choices out there.
So far I’ve encountered three firms who have worked for the Broad Foundation as guest speakers at Broad Superintendents Academy trainings. I’m sure it is not a coincidence that they have gone on to recommended Broad supe candidates to districts.
1. Jim Huge & Associates
2. Ray and Associates
3. Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates
A lot of networking must go on at those weekend training sessions.
Jim Huge has also represented the Broad Foundation at training retreats. Here’s one he gave in 2006 to Charlotte-Mecklenburg board members and their newly appointed Broad Supt. Peter Gorman: “The Board members and Superintendent participated in a retreat on July 28 and 29 facilitated by Jim Huge of The Broad Foundation. ”
Click to access EntryPlanActivities.pdf
This is a pretty obvious way for a district to end up with a Broad Superintendent, but it only occurred to me recently. I’ll be putting a page up about this on The Broad Report sometime next week.
http://thebroadreport.blogspot.com/
I wouldn’t breathe easy until she is gone.
Another Broadie, Bob Bobb, is still in Detroit until his contract expires this month although they should have forced him out a long time ago. He ravished the school system in Detroit and is, as his final farewell, closing 41 schools and recommending that they all be converted into charter schools. The Broad’s swan song for that city.
His story is unbelievable. You can check it out at: Robert Bobb, The Sad Saga Continues, https://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/robert-bobb-the-sad-saga-continues/.
Keep us posted.
Dora
In Ms Sheffield’s first address to the administrators of Rockford she said, “see this? Here are the people I brought (points at her heavily black staff), and you WILL be seeing more people like this in leadership.”
The only true racist was her.
But now the more important job, how do we fix education?
We are constantly embarrassed by other countries, instead of arguing, lets fix this!
After a truly horrific two years, I have learned so much. I have decided to pursue my Reading Specialist degree and am required to take a research course. My research revolves around corporate education reform and its effects on teacher attitude and efficacy. To say that the teachers in Rockford , Illinois are demoralized would be an absolute understatement. We have been hearing rumors for two days that Dr. LaVonne Sheffield would be resigning “any time now” and have been continually disappointed. We received news today of Noel Hammatt’s defamation of character lawsuit against Sheffield. When an acting Superintendent publicly announces that an educational researcher is a racist, you know we have problems. Well, we waited and we waited…and finally, the news came. Sheffield would be resigning but would “stay on” to help the Board. Why? Please just leave us alone. Your world view is beyond skewed and is not welcome in any respectable educational circle. Corporate education reform is an utter failure.
Good news for Rockford.
We had to spend almost $500,000 to be rid of our Broad supe and her CFO but it was time to cut our losses and move on.
Congratulations.
Dora
Sheffield’s resignation is confirmed. Ms. Sheffield’s big-announcement day was preempted by the delivery of a defamation of character lawsuit against her. As a 30 year teacher in the same district, I am elated to part company with dishonest and arrogant leadership. Hopefully we can recover and move forward.
Sheffield resigned this afternoon. It’s costing the district $115,000 but it’s money well spent. She has also been sued by Noel Hammatt for defamation of character dating back to a Feb. 22 board meeting rant of hers. Go to http://www.rrtimes.com for truthful news. Ding dong the witch is dead!!! She will stay on until the new board takes over on 4/26. Now, they just have to deal with her underlings.