Can Hochul, Mamdani and Menin Become a Polyamorous Throuple?
Running for office is exciting, rallies, crowds shouting your name, and, if you win: ecstatic! After winning, managing is tough, constant decisions, frequently no “right” answer, crowds applauding as well as calling for your head! Everything you inherit becomes your fault, blizzards, 5 degree weather, your fault. Friends working in your campaign become enemies when you make a decision…
The Failure of Leadership: Ineffective School, School District and School System Leadership is a Pandemic
For me the key to effective classrooms, schools and school districts is leadership. As SCOTUS Judge Potter Stewart said in a decision, “It’s hard to define but I know it when I see it, (he was referring to pornography) can also be used to define leadership. From sports coaches at the highest levels to restaurant…
Exploring the Pluses and Minuses of the Proposed NYS Heath Act
The SF Teacher Strike ended with a tentative settlement, the major issue was the cost of health plan; teachers in SF pay $1500 a month for family coverage. “San Francisco teachers cheered the tentative agreement — especially its coverage of 100% of premiums on family health plans, which run about $1,500 per month, beginning next January” See…
The Polar Vortex, Spinning the News and Confronting Generational Poverty
Woke this morning, 5 degrees, I never want to hear the words “polar vortex” again, face mask, three layers, ski mittens, life goes on. Maybe Springsteen and Big Bunny have turned the tide, if there’s anyone left to write the history of our era it will be fascinating, in my darker moments I see us…
Can Parents (and Friends) End Mayoral Control and Create an Inclusive NYC School District Leadership Collaborative?
Candidate Mamdani opposed mayoral control, he supported a system empowering a role for parents and teachers; however, without any specificity. For many of us his opposition to mayoral control was the tipping point, it determined our vote and we expected him to establish a process to engage parents and teachers in the chancellor search. “I’ve been…
Is New York City Facing a Fiscal Crisis? What are the Implications?
There is no Spring Training for Mayors, a month into his tenure Mamdani faces a yawning deficit, yes, he inherited the deficit, it belongs to our new mayor. In June, 2025 Mayor Adams (and City Council) passed a $114 B budget, restoring a long list of proposed cuts. Seven months later the newly elected Comptroller,…
A Primer: Getting Things Done in City Hall and Albany
“It’s all politics.” (Grrr!) The dictionary definition of politics is simply the process by which governing decisions are reached. In a government classroom we may begin with Athenian Democracy, men met and decided how the city-state of Athens would be governed, only the male citizens, not the slaves, not women, the governors were randomly decided,…
The Key to Impactful Instruction: “Ownership of Practice”
From the mayor: I changed my mind, I no longer oppose mayoral control and an appointment, a new chancellor, a long time superintendent. Over his first few weeks the mayor’s team has skillfully rolled out his public relations machine The “machine” placed “puff pieces” in NY Times and Chalkbeat, snippets of the new chancellor’s accomplishments…
Can the Mayor Multi Task? Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Should Be At the Top of His List
The end of year data shows NYC is one of the safest cities in our nation, Gothamist reports, New York City is on track to record one of its lowest-ever yearly homicide totals in 2025. The homicide totals in recent years are drastically lower than those going back to the 1990s, when the city once…
Does the First Amendment Protect Teachers from Speech Outside of the Classroom?
The Texas Education Commissioner has sent a letter to Texas school superintendents announcing investigations into teachers and staff who have “posted and/or shared reprehensible and inappropriate content on social media” about the assassination of Charlie Kirk TEA states the posts “could constitute a violation of the Educators’ Code of Ethics” and could result in sanctions.…
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Ed in the Apple: Blogging on the Intersection of Education and Politics Title 