I know… I’ve been pretty short on writing lately and long on quoting and long on pictures, but here’s just a little tidbit of what the environment in NYC is like for schools and administrators these days. It’s an editorial by Karen Hunter in today’s Daily News, which is not known for being hugely pro-teacher or pro-administration. But what happened this past week was really outrageous. Chancellor Klein published a list of the 45 principals that he had gotten rid of because they were ineffective. After all, Tweed believes in the Jack Walsh GE Management method where you get rid of the lowest performing people every year, regardless of whether or not you have the people to replace them ready to go. (It’s a lot easier to replace middle management at GE than it is finding principals willing to work at difficult schools in NYC, especially given the environment, but I’m not sure that has been thought through….)

But in any event, Klein is determined to weed out the worst principals, so he published his list… only turns out over half the list were just retirees, including some of the best principals in the system. I am half surprised that Steve’s name didn’t appear on this list, just as padding, except I’m sure that someone at Tweed was smart enough to realize that they couldn’t claim Beacon was a failing school. This is offensive on so many levels — they are tarnishing the names of some career educators as they leave our system. Not every principal retires to the golf course. Many retire and want to teach college, consult or do something else, and now they have this on the public record, which is a travesty. Fear, uncertainity and doubt is no way to run a school system.

Ax principals, yes, but only the bad ones

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein got tough this week and let go 45 school principals for what he called unsatisfactory work. A lot of people pumped their fists, because it seemed the firings sent a message that mediocrity and failure at any level will not be tolerated.

But the good news was undermined. According to the principals’ union, the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, roughly half the 45 had either retired, gone to other systems or stepped down from their posts voluntarily.

"To publish names of people who retired in good standing and lump them in with those who have been rated unsatisfactory is irresponsible," said Ernest Logan, the union’s executive vice president.

Carol Davidson, who retired at the end of the school year because "I put in my time," was horrified when her name turned up on the list.

For the past three years, her school, Junior High 190 in Forest Hills, Queens, ranked among the city’s best. Her eighth-grade class had only one student score at Level 1 – the failing level. This year, she sent 90 students to Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech high schools – three of the best in the nation.

"I had a failing school?" asks Davidson. "Parents chose my school rather than send their child to private school. Now they’re questioning whether they should pull their child out because of a report that named me as principal of a failing school. Not only did it ruin my life, but it had a negative impact on the community, the children and the school’s reputation."

In the late 1990s, mine was one of the loudest voices calling for the end of principal tenure. I felt school CEOs should be promoted or fired based on the performance of their schools. I applauded the union for giving up the notion of a job for life in return for more pay. But with the end of tenure comes a higher level of accountability for those supervising the principals.

There is no question that heads must roll in a system where fewer than 50% of school kids are reading at grade level. And the cutting must start at the top. But those who are put on the chopping block must deserve it. The process is undermined by every Carol Davidson who is listed as a failure and isn’t.

I have no sympathy for a principal who is fired for doing a poor job. But if you’re going to squeeze the lemons, make sure that all you have are lemons.

Originally published on July 2, 2004