Editorial: Nadelstern is best choice

Monday, Jan. 16, 2006 | 8:24 a.m.

The Clark County School Board has narrowed its list of finalists to be the next superintendent of schools to two individuals. On Tuesday, when the School Board meets again, it could select either Eric Nadelstern, chief academic officer for new schools in New York City, or Walt Rulffes, who is interim co-superintendent of schools in Clark County.

Public schools in Clark County are at a critical juncture -- and the next superintendent will have a profound effect on the future of education here for many years to come.

By a number of measures, our schools should be doing better. Clark County's high school graduation rate is poor. And, last year, 37 percent of Clark County high school graduates entering Nevada's colleges and universities needed remedial courses to enable them to do college-level work. Further, about one out of three students receiving a Millennium Scholarship required at least one remedial course. This is unacceptable.

The inability to make greater academic strides in Clark County has led to a lot of demagoguery lately by politicians who say that breaking up the school district -- the fifth largest in the nation -- would lead to better results. But such a split would be disastrous, as it could lead to inequities -- creating rich, middle-class and low-income school districts -- that would seriously impair the ability of all children in Clark County to have the same educational opportunities.

It's not the size of the school district that is important. What is most important is what goes on in the classroom. Do the teachers and principals have the resources and the flexibility to get the most out of their students?

Here in Clark County we have an opportunity to appoint someone as superintendent who has been a leader in the nation's largest school district -- New York City -- and who understands the importance of reforms in getting positive results.

The 55-year-old Nadelstern, in addition to being chief academic officer for new schools in New York City, a school district with more than 1 million students, is the supervising superintendent for the district's "Autonomy Zone," a pilot program that is in its second year.

As the Sun reported in a story last week, schools that are part of this experimental program can choose their own curriculum and instructional methods, make their own decisions regarding their budgets, set daily schedules and hire staff. In return for this freedom, principals and other staff at the schools are held directly responsible for student achievement.

In its first year, there were 29 schools from across the city that were part of the "Autonomy Zone," with 16 added in the current school year. Daily attendance rates are 90 percent and there is a 90 percent passing rate from grade to grade.

It also is critical to note that Nadelstern understands firsthand the difficulties of educating a diverse student population in which English might not be a child's first language. Nadelstern has taught English as a second language and became the founding principal of International High School at LaGuardia Community College, designing the school's program for students who had immigrated to the United States.

Students in the school's English Language Learner program have maintained 90 percent or better rates for attendance, graduation and college acceptance -- quite an accomplishment when compared with the district's overall average of 45 percent.

We need some dramatic changes to improve Clark County schools -- and that means giving the school principals and teachers more freedom to do their jobs, something that Nadelstern believes passionately about. At the same time, however, with this freedom comes accountability, something that parents and children deserve. Parents don't want to wait three, five or 10 years to see results -- they want their children properly educated now.

Nadelstern understands the need to decentralize power, to give principals the latitude they need to succeed. "Parents don't send their kids to a district, they send their kids to a school," Nadelstern told the Sun in a recent interview. "The goal shouldn't be how do you create a successful district, but how you create a successful school."

Rulffes, 65, has done a fine job as interim superintendent of the Clark County School District, but members of the School Board need to step outside their comfort zone and make a bold move. They should select a superintendent who has the vision to give our children a great education. Nadelstern is the only candidate who can usher in the transformation needed in our public schools, a transformation that not only will empower teachers and principals but also bring about accountability that is vitally needed.