The tenure of publishing executive Cathleen Black as chancellor of New York City’s school system has ended abruptly. A mere three months after taking the top job in the nation’s largest school district, Black resigned. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s appointment of Black drew heavy criticism because she had no previous experience in education. In her short time on the job, several top administrators decided to leave the school system.
Bloomberg replaced Black with Dennis Walcott, a deputy mayor with the experience in education that Black lacked. Walcott had been a kindergarten teacher, served on the city’s school board and for the last nine years as deputy mayor, was responsible for oversight of the city’s school system.
The nation’s second- and third-largest districts also have new administrative leadership. In the Los Angeles Unified District, John Deasy took over as superintendent in April after Ramon Cortines retired from the position. In Chicago, the nation’s third-largest district, incoming Mayor Rahm Emanuel has selected Jean-Claude Brizard as schools’ CEO.
