Based on the chapter, I agreed with the push for meritocracy in the school system. I think it is extremely important for individuals, especially for school administrators, to be assigned responsibilities based upon their merits, skills and qualifications. I think this should apply for all occupations. Individuals should be able to progress and move up in any occupation based on what they bring to the table and the particular skills they possess. I agree that schools should be kept out of politics and in the hands of experts. It is a terrible thing to see the educational future and well being of our children being used as a political tool and suffer from the hostile political environment. However, public education will always play a role in politics, as important issues such as funding are dealt with through public policy and political discourse. This is often why the public education system suffers through changes in the political environment.
When it comes to the issue of relinquishing public control of schools, I am still a bit uncertain. I understand the concerns of having businesspeople taking up positions as school administrators and as school board members. However, I am not completely opposed to this. I think that many of the skills and qualifications that allow for these individuals to be successful in the business world would also allow for success in the school system. An example of this would be the current NYC school chancellor Cathy Black. Many people argue that she is not qualified to be in charge of the school system as she has no prior experience in education. While she may not have that particular experience, she does possess the most important skill that is needed of a chancellor of the school system, which is leadership. She has had the leadership experience in the business/private sector and she was quite successful. To claim that someone of her intelligence and success could not manage or be a good leader in a particular position based only on experience is quite unfair in my opinion. I also believe that the application of many business practices will help solve many of the bureaucratic inefficiencies that currently plague our school system.
Will/do public schools, particularly in NYC, benefit from incorporating business practices in their operations? Is this a good way of correcting/changing the current bureaucracy of our school system?
