I, too, teach in higher education. The comment on Chicago schools should have noted that Arne Duncan, who is the new Education Chief under Obama, was most recently the Superintendent of the Chicago Public School District. Further, the comments on Mayoral control of RCSD should have noted the exact parallels between the Mayoral Proposal and Arne Duncan's Race to the Top, which extends and strengthens all of the things most critics of NCLB decried, the worse being teacher pay tied to student achievement (merit). Let's consider the principles of democratization of information before we publish our (incomplete) opinions upon which other rely.

Janet, you seem to be saying the same thing Dr. Hursh is saying, only more forcefully. You seem to be finding fault with Dr. Hursh for not presenting an all encompassing argument. Are you suggesting that he doesn't present the strongest arguments of his book, or are you saying that his blog and book miss the strongest arguements agaainst mayoral control?

David Hursh presents some interesting opinions; but remember, these are "opinions" and sometimes mere suppositions, not facts. Hursh also uses two of America's largest cities as examples; suggesting that problems encountered in Megalopolis are the same as those encountered in Smallville and should be solved in exactly the same manner. Of course, we all know that's baloney; there is no One-Size-Fits-All and there never will be.

Though Hursh poses some interesting arguments, he offers no solutions and concludes his remarks with the suggestion, "For descriptions of the Chicago and New York City Public Schools under mayoral, see (read 'buy') my recent book"; unfortunately, that approach neither whets my appetite nor inspires my confidence, but reminds me too much of any huckster trying to separate me from my cash.

Sorry folks, I know some are already on bended knee but you won't catch me worshiping at this guy's alter; I think there are superior alternatives.

I find Louis Richards position very odd. He faults David Hursh for comparing Megalopolis (NYC) to Smallville (Rochester), but the mayor is presenting the same argument when he says "what's good for NYC is good for Rochester" in terms of governance. I agree with Mr. Richards that one size does not fit all. So why do we buy the argument when the mayor seeks to use the Megalopolis solution for a Smallville problem?

Ms. Powell this discussion should be about the well-being of Rochester’s school children, not one-upsmanship; perhaps you have already been in politics too long to appreciate that subtlety. It is no oddity to support mayoral control, except for the myopic or politically entrenched.
 
NYC, Chicago and Rochester share similarities and dissimilarities. The communities Hursh addresses are orders of magnitude larger than Rochester; it is an error to presume that what works, or fails, on the larger scale must also succeed or fail on the smaller scale in exactly the same manner. You, Ms. Powell, continue to cling to Rochester's historically dysfunctional model; whereas I prefer a new approach locally, anticipating positive reform.

In terms of “governance” of public schools, I opine that the mayor should have the opportunity to succeed where the RCSD board has so often failed. Permitting the School Board even “one more chance” makes no sense to me.

Einstein is reputed to have remarked that, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results; it is also an apt description of the School Board.

When I attended city schools there were no guards or metal detectors and most students continued on to vocational schools or college. As I watch today's children acclimating to uniformed guards and passing through metal detectors, I can only imagine that they are ultimately preparing for … state prisons, not Higher Ed.
 
As a taxpayer, I am very unhappy with the educational status quo and suspect that you defend it only because you are a part of it; as such, I regrettably see you as part of the problem.

Mr. Richards, you hit the nail on the hit with your very first sentence. The lack of focus on what is best for students is shocking to me in the arguments against mayoral control. Clearly the academic success of our city's kids is being done no favors by the status quo.