The man who started it all

Sunday, March 11, 2007 | 7:40 a.m.

New York City educator Eric Nadelstern, one of the reasons Nevada is considering allowing principals more autonomy in running their schools, is watching the Silver State's progress with interest.

Nadelstern was a finalist last year to become Clark County's schools superintendent but withdrew from consideration before the School Board voted.

"I'm gratified that some of the ideas I had a chance to introduce during the superintendent search have taken root," Nadelstern said in a telephone interview Thursday. "I'm pleased to offer any degree of support we can, having already gone down this route in New York."

Nadelstern, a 35-year veteran of New York's public schools, launched the city's empowerment initiative in 2004. Schools have greater control over staffing, budgets, instructional methods and schedules but, in return, are held more strictly accountable for student achievement. His reputation as an educational innovator attracted the attention of the Council for a Better Nevada, a coalition of business leaders and chief executives, including university system Chancellor Jim Rogers. The group urged Nadelstern to apply for the Clark County post and campaigned on his behalf.

Although Nadelstern didn't stick around, the debate over school empowerment did.

Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes said while empowerment pilot programs had been informally considered by the district in the past, Nadelstern provided the necessary kick-start.

"I won't deny we got some ideas from New York," said Rulffes, who launched a four-campus empowerment pilot program last fall. "I also wouldn't deny that the Council for a Better Nevada and (Executive Director) Maureen Peckman deserve some credit for moving things along."

New York City's empowerment initiative was expanded this year to more than 300 schools from 48.

Another expansion is planned for the fall, which has raised concern among the New York City Council's Education Committee. At a hearing Monday , members said it was too early to say the newest empowerment schools are succeeding. But Nadelstern told the Sun the success of the original pilot schools is clear. The graduation rate last year for the empowerment schools was 75 percent, a 9 percent improvement over the graduation rate before the schools joined the empowerment initiative. The citywide graduation rate is 58 percent.

Nadelstern offered advice for Nevada lawmakers evaluating the merits of empowerment: Spend significantly more money on basic education statewide.

"School-funding issues in the state of Nevada have reached critical proportions," Nadelstern said. "Being 49th out of 50 states may be fiscally prudent, but it's not educationally sound."