Where Should School Leaders Come From?

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recent appointment of Hearst Magazines executive Cathleen Black as incoming NYC Schools chancellor to replace Joel Klein has the education sector buzzing about who's best qualified to run a school district.

Last week's most-clicked ASCD SmartBrief item from Eduwonk Andrew Rotherham (for Time magazine) takes the opportunity to point out flaws in current preparation and credentialing programs for teachers. He highlights this National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education report for recommendations on fixing teacher training (for example, more focus on actual classroom experience). Education "fetishizes" credentials, though they produce inconsistent results, Rotherham contends. A blend of credentials and past performance would be a better fit for high-stakes hiring decisions in education.

Whether education outsider Cathleen Black's tenure will be favorable for NYC Schools is still anyone's guess. What should be clear, says Rotherham, is "how outmoded—and counterproductive—American education's approach to credentials is in the first place."

School leaders often come from fields outside education—business, politics, or the military, for example. Black, like her predecessor Klein, must be granted a waiver before taking the chancellorship because she has neither a master's degree, a professional certificate as a school district leader, or teaching experience.

What experiences and/or credentials do you think school leaders should possess?