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TOUGHEST
JOB IN AMERICA
Introduction...
 Cities
routinely chew up and spit out school superintendents. Typically,
an urban superintendent lasts less than three years. Right now at
least a dozen of the country's biggest urban districts have hired
new superintendents including Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles
and New York City. Cleveland has had an incredible 20 superintendents
in the past 21 years! 
| Toughest
Job in America is the gripping story of one man's battle
against an entrenched bureaucracy, a stubborn union, hostile
politicians, budget deficits, and a deep-rooted belief that
poor and minority children cannot achieve. Complicating the
story are the leader's own inflexible streak of moralism and
his tendency to alienate even his ardent supporters. Yet he
managed to survive, at least until Monday, June 5, 2000, when
he suddenly resigned. |
 Was
he sacrificed in a crass political deal? Had he simply made too
many enemies? Or was he being true to his principles? David Hornbeck
had nearly completed his sixth year as Superintendent in Philadelphia.
Students there are achieving at higher levels than in the past,
but whether these improvements will last is an open question.
Toughest Job in America is an unprecedented historical record
of school reform, valuable for its insights into the problems facing
urban schools everywhere. This entertaining and substantive documentary
is a story with lessons for leaders everywhere. |
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Original
Airdate: April, 2000
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