Ackerman to be named Phila. schools chief today

A former San Francisco schools superintendent who took bold steps to improve student achievement and drew national recognition for her work - but at the same time became a lightning rod for controversy - is to become the next schools chief in Philadelphia.

Arlene Ackerman, 61, who also once ran Washington's public schools and served as a deputy superintendent in Seattle, is expected to be named today at a news conference at City Hall with Mayor Nutter and Gov. Rendell. Ackerman currently is an education professor at Teachers College of Columbia University.

Her appointment, which is subject to approval by the School Reform Commission, has the support of both Rendell and Nutter, sources said. Spokesmen for both declined to comment.

"Out of the names that surfaced, she seemed to be the most qualified," School Reform Commissioner Martin Bednarek said. "Her having been a superintendent in an urban district is probably the thing that swayed a lot of people."

Bednarek, one of four commissioners, said he would vote for Ackerman and thought his three colleagues would do the same: "I think the commission will try to be united on this pick."

Ackerman was one of two remaining finalists for the job in the 167,000-student district. The other was Leroy D. Nunery 2d, a former executive for Edison Schools Inc., a for-profit education company.

Details of Ackerman's contract have yet to be worked out.

The job currently pays $275,000 annually. Previous CEO Paul Vallas, who left the district in June to head the public schools in New Orleans, also received annual $100,000 bonuses for remaining on the job.

School Reform Commission Chairwoman Sandra Dungee Glenn did not return calls for comment. Ackerman declined to comment until after her appointment was announced.

Ackerman's pick is likely to be controversial among some community members who were concerned about her conflicts in San Francisco and who were calling for the commission to reopen the search.

"Many of us were concerned because there seemed to be a mixed review," said Shelly Yanoff, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth and a member of a citizens advisory committee that interviewed the finalists last month. "On the other hand, she does have strong credentials, and I think it's time to move forward."

Ackerman ran the 55,000-student San Francisco Unified School District for six years. Her tenure concluded in 2006, when the school board and Ackerman declared they were incompatible.

"She accomplished a great deal," said a San Francisco school board member, Jill Wynns. "She came in having done her homework, knowing what we were doing well, what she agreed with and what assets we had, and she built on those."

She helped San Francisco redistribute its funding, giving more to schools with greater poverty and other needs.

Ackerman created a similar system in Washington, where she ran the schools from 1998 to 2000.

The system could be of interest in Philadelphia, where Dungee Glenn has said that she would like to find a way to give more resources to the neediest schools.

Caroline Grannan, a San Francisco public school parent, volunteer and education blogger, called Ackerman an effective superintendent who "cleaned up our district's troubled finances, exposed corruption and wrongdoing, and raised student achievement."

"It's true," Grannan continued, "that she had troubled relations with the district's unions, and she may not have handled her critics in the most effective way."

But, she said, those who complained about her "autocratic" style actually "wanted her to be more deferential. I don't blame her for resisting that pressure."

Others say her tenure was marked by a dictatorial style and failed educational experiments.

"She was unwilling to listen to different points of view and not able to work with the entire Board of Education," said San Francisco School Board President Mark Sanchez.

Ackerman reconstituted several troubled schools and required teachers to reapply for their jobs, which led to a large exodus of experienced staff, Sanchez said.

Many of the new staff left within two years, leaving the schools in more turmoil, he said.

"It was a reform done to schools and communities, and not with schools and school communities," he said.

Dennis Kelly, president of the teachers union in San Francisco, said Ackerman led in a "closed manner" and prohibited staff from talking to the press.

"We did not find that there was room for discussion with her. It was completely 'my way or the highway,' " Kelly said.

Such criticism did not discourage Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. He said he had talked with Kelly but had hopes for better relations in Philadelphia.

"I just think it's really important to give her an opportunity," he said.

State Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Phila.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, was encouraged that Ackerman supports giving parents an array of school models to choose from, including schools run by outside companies and charter schools - which both exist in large numbers in Philadelphia.

Evans said he spoke to Ackerman on Sunday night, as well as to two former superintendents from Milwaukee and Detroit who recommended her.

"I think she will be a great asset for the students, the parents and the city," he said.

Parents on the citizens committee that interviewed finalists were split on Ackerman.

Greg Wade, president of the Home and School Council, the district's parents' group, said he remained concerned about her tenure in San Francisco.

"I'm just not comfortable with it," he said.

But the Rev. Paul Weeks, who has children at Jenks Elementary and Central High and also served on the citizens committee, said she is a "renowned superintendent who teaches superintendents and who can teach Philadelphia a great deal."

Ackerman, who started her career as an elementary and middle school teacher, coaches nontraditional superintendent candidates such as former military officers at the Los Angeles-based Broad Superintendents Academy.

She has a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's in educational administration and policy. She also has a master's and a doctorate in education administration, planning and social policy from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

She was named superintendent of the year for 2004-05 by the National Association of Black School Educators.

Personal

Age: 61

Raised in: St. Louis

Has two grown children

Education

Bachelor's degree, Harris-Stowe Teachers College, St. Louis

Master's degree in educational administration and policy, Washington University, St. Louis

Master's degree in education, Harvard University

Doctorate in administration planning and social policy, Harvard

Career

Current: Professor of practice at Teachers College, Columbia University

2000-06: Superintendent of San Francisco Unified School District

1998-2000: Superintendent, District of Columbia Public Schools

1997-98: Deputy superintendent/chief academic officer, Washington

1996-97: Deputy superintendent of Seattle Public Schools

1994-96: Assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and academic achievement, Seattle

Started her career as an elementary and middle school teacher

Awards

Superintendent of the Year for 2004-05, by the National Association of Black School Educators

One of five finalists for the 2005 Broad Prize for Urban Education

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