More Nausea

from the new sup of the year. He wrote this article bragging about his turnaround model for WCSD although he didn't fire a single principal.

Many of them need to be fired outright, but they aren't. They are merely moved around:

In the case of the School Improvement Grant, the acceptance of funding mandated the difficult act of removing devoted principals.

There were other factors to consider. Our district already had chosen a pathway of reform. I had been the superintendent for less than a year, and we were enmeshed in creating a new strategic plan to improve educational quality. Did the four alternative reform models attached to the grant align with what we were doing in our district?

Every decision we make is based on improving the learning opportunities for children. We decided to move forward and apply, as the SIG could accelerate our reforms in Washoe County. The funds could provide badly needed resources, especially in a state like Nevada, which is strapped for money.

With the decision to proceed, we developed a comprehensive plan to inform our community. We realized the money we’d receive could become a public relations nightmare if the messages about the grant were not managed. Rumors and hearsay could not rule. Accurate information was the mandate.

Not one of these principals was fired. Morrison merely rearranged the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. Now if he had shuffled the students, there would have been a difference. Changing staff won't do it in these schools with transient populations.

In more Morrison, a fun fact about his "award":

In the 10-year history of the Broad Superintendents Academy, Morrison is the first program graduate to be named National Superintendent of the Year and, according to Broad’s records, the first to reach final four status. At least a half dozen Broad alumni have been named state superintendents of the year.

Morrison completed the full-year Broad Superintendents Academy in 2009, and he benefitted from a year-long executive coaching arrangement with Thomas Payzant, a former NSOY finalist and a professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Payzant made about a half dozen visits to shadow Morrison on the job for a day at a time, then conducted a debriefing at day’s end.

Payzant says he came away impressed at the new superintendent’s skillful dealings with the school board. “He’s very good at listening, but he was also aware that your first year is an opportunity to start some initiatives that will be accepted by the board because of their enthusiasm in bringing you on board.”

The shape of things to come, and it ain't good.