Interim Chicago Schools Chief Looking To Fill Chief Education Officer Spot

By Anna Deem in News on Dec 18, 2010 7:30PM

Terry Mazany, the interim Chief Executive Officer for Chicago Public Schools, has put a new emphasis on selecting a candidate to fill his No. 2 spot of Chief Education Officer--an important position that has been vacant since Barbara Eason-Watkins stepped down in June. Mazany said on Friday via the Chicago Tribune that he hopes to fill the position shortly after the first of the year.

To find candidates, Mazany told the Tribune that he has looked inside and outside CPS. Since 1995 when Mayor Daley took control of CPS, the Chief Education Officer has typically gone to a candidate with an education background, while the Chief Executive Officer position is reserved for someone from a business and administrative background.

Mazany was appointed by Daley to hold down the fort as Chief Executive Officer until a new mayor takes office in May. He took over from Ron Huberman, who was often criticized for his emphasis on testing to evaluate teacher performance. Mazany told the Tribune that he wants to re-evaluate Huberman's "performance management" system. "It's a logical time to take stock of how is this being used, where's it been helpful and where have we gone overboard," Mazany said. "A business leader would say, 'We need data, data, data. We need assessments.' The education leader will understand that every time you assess students, it takes instructional time away from students."