Alex Johnston, CEO of ConnCAN an education reform organization in Connecticut, was recently appointed to the New Haven School Board by Mayor John DeStefano. Johnston is finishing out another board member's term, until Sept. 2010, and will then be reappointed to a four-year term. Flypaper had a chance to catch up with Johnston at the PIE-NET conference in Denver.
Flypaper: Why did you decide to accept this school board appointment?
Johnston: There didn't used to be, but now there is alignment between federal, local and ConnCAN goals in the reform plan the district is pursuing. The new contract negotiated by the New Haven Federation of Teachers (American Federation of Teachers affiliate) is nationally significant, with teacher evaluations based on academic achievement, charter conversions and local decisions. For example, if 75% of the teachers in a school agree with the principal on doing things a different way, they have the ability to do that. I think this is what Michelle (Rhee) has been trying to do in DC, but it's more complicated there. All of a sudden, there's this nationally significant opportunity for reform.
Flypaper: What do you see as your role on the school board?
Johnston: The mayor has asked me to serve in this capacity as an advocate. I don't have to change hats. I can work at the intersection of federal, local and ConnCAN initiatives. These are unusual times in education reform.
Flypaper: But what about possible conflicts of interest?
Johnston: I discussed this over several weeks with the mayor. I think the basic concern that anybody in this position would have about serving on a board is, "What does this mean for me as an advocate?" After some careful thought, we've all concluded there's really strong alignment in goals. There certainly may be some circumstances that arise in the future, but on balance it seems like a really important opportunity.
Flypaper: Your first meeting is this Saturday. What is the main issue everyone will tackle?
Johnston: It's a strategic planning retreat to discuss how to measure good performance of teachers and administrators and how to think about defining success for the reform plan as a whole. I plan to do a fair amount of listening at first.