Courtesy of Charles Hoff, Vice-President of the Federal Way, Washington school board, comes this New York Times piece on the ambitious mission of NY schools chief Joel Klein.

Klein is urging a great leap forward. In the positive sense of the phrase, not Mao's.

The Times reports that Klein "called yesterday for sweeping changes in the way teachers are paid in New York City, advocating bonuses based on student achievement and higher salaries for teachers who agree to work in troubled schools and for those in fields where there are staff shortages, like math and science."

A few other key excerpts from the article:

"We have to change the culture of our schools," Mr. Klein said. "We don't have a culture of excellence."

".....his criticism of the general state of the school system was relentless. 'We have become not surprisingly an excuse-based culture,' he said. 'I cannot tell you when I walk around how often I hear it's the kids, it's the parents, it's the school system, it's the principal, it's the supervisor, it's anyone but me. Try to produce effective outcomes in that kind of culture.'"

He added: "At the heart of the problem are the three poles of civil service: lockstep pay, seniority and life tenure. Together they act as handcuffs and prevent us from making the changes that will encourage and support excellence."

The teachers union, The United Federation of Teachers, has shown some genuine interest in real change. They've voiced support for speedier discipline and dismissal of incompetent teachers.

School choice, already implemented in New York State in the form of charter schools, is helping NYC's public schools see the light. The intense scrutiny some NY charters are now experiencing, and the success of others, are helping to inspire the "new culture of excellence" that Klein urges.

That culture must become real in all urban public school districts.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at January 29, 2004 09:20 AM

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