I've also watched the board and superintendent leadership in New York very closely for more than three years. There are strong people in positions of local leadership - boards and superintendents. The center will hold. John Gardner wrote that the first and last task of a leader is to give people hope. That thought motivates me when I tell educators of yet another school I've seen where leaders responded successfully to the challenge of high standards.
School boards give people hope, too.
They do it when they listen to the community and bring together the voices that underscore that higher performance is not only essential, but also within the grasp of all youngsters. Children need to hear high expectations from all the adults in their lives - teachers and parents, potential employers and college recruiters, coaches and family members. School boards and their superintendents can create the arenas where those voices are heard. Every one of these objections has merit. But none of them means that this is impossible.