While many people hope that mayoral control will fix what ails big city school systems, reformers in New York City are beginning to realize that this Great Man approach may not, in fact, get the job done. Mayor Michael Bloomberg won control of the school system but what is he doing with it? On the one hand, the education establishment is faulting his education team for such decisions as cutting classroom aides and mandating citywide reading and math curricula. On the other hand, reformers deplore his SELECTION of curricula and his coolness toward school choice. According to former Giuliani deputy Tony Coles, the reality is that the teachers' union still controls Gotham's school system. While the right mayor can help, assuring civilian control of the schools is turning out to require more than that.
"The bullies of the NYC schools," by Tony Coles, New York Post, September 2, 2003
"Pupils wait for the bell; mayor waits for his test," by Jennifer Steinhauer, New York Times, August 25, 2003