Unfortunately Ron you idealize the past … in the mid nineties a UFT Task Force carefully examined the supervisory selection process … they found the process was plagued by very few applicants, assignments made by superintendents and rubber stamped by the C-30 process, and frequent school board domination of the process. With rare exception superintendents picked who they wanted. The era of experienced assistant principals moving up the ladder ended in 1970!!!!

The current system, that began in this Spring requires all applicants to pass an exam to be eligible to apply. Scuttlebutt is that the failure rate is high …

Is the principal of today, younger, with less teaching experience, better or worse than the principal who was selected because they belonged to a politcal club, or, belonged to a particular ethnic group, or made a “contribution” to a school board member?

Those schools w/ 200 applicants are in wealthy burbs … and … are the selectees any better?

Principals that have risen up from the ranks as teachers and APs are now few and far between.

Now, it’s all about who you know (ex. TFA and the Leadership Academy) not one’s experience. The C30 process is just a technicality, the DOE really doesn’t care to hear from the PTA, the UFT, or the CSA. They will ultimately select whoever they want.

It doesn’t matter if one is not qualified. Where there is a will there is a waiver (ex. Chancellor Klein’s appointment).

It really has become a disrespectful process more akin to what you would see in the business world (aka nepotism). I would love to see an independent investigation into how many current principals have a familial relationship to either the Mayor, the Chancellor, or other DOE Superintendents.