Rudy Crew

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Rudolph F. "Rudy" Crew (born September 10, 1950, in Poughkeepsie, New York[1]) is the superintendent of schools of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Appointed to the post in 2004, he previously was an executive at the Stupski Foundation. Prior to that he served as the executive director of the University of Washington's Institute for K-12 Leadership. Before the university position, he served as chancellor of the New York City Board of Education, 1995-1999.[2]

Crew’s success in M-DCPS is reflected in the District’s performance on the FCAT, which continues a trend that adds up to significant improvement over the last five years.[3] M-DCPS has been a finalist for the prestigious Broad Prize for three consecutive years (2006-08).[4]

Crew was named the 2008 National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). Since his arrival in Miami-Dade back in 2004, achievement levels have risen and the system is viewed by some as a model for other districts across the nation.[5]

Crew's mother died when he was an infant and he was raised by his father, Eugene Crew. Crew was the first male in his family to attend college, and he was among the African-American students that helped integrate Babson College as undergraduates. He holds Master of Education and a Doctor of Education from the University of Massachusetts[6]

He began his career as a school administrator in Worcester, Massachusetts.[7] He also worked in administrative positions in Boston, Massachusetts and Sacramento, California.[6]

Contents

[edit] Relations with New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Crew replaced Joseph Cortines as chancellor of New York City's Board of Education. As chancellor of the nation’s largest school district, Crew was referred to as the “other” Rudy.[8]

He opposed Mayor Giuliani's plan to initiate a private school voucher system. This opposition cost him his job[1] (Before Crew served as schools chancellor he had been friends with Giuliani for years.) The New York Times wrote that Giuliani "drove the chancellor out with a campaign of public criticism.[9] Despite this public feud over vouchers, Giuliani told Crew, “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a political thing, a campaign thing. I’m not going to do anything. Don’t take it seriously."[citation needed]

[edit] Career after New York

Crew is a national leader who is respected by many including philanthropist Eli Broad[10] and former U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige who nominated Crew for the 2008 National Superintendent of the Year honor.[11]

In 2005 and in 2007 Crew's name was floated as a potential superintendent of District of Columbia Public Schools.[12]

There has been substantial academic research on changes to oversight in New York City that indicate his creation of a more autonomous "Chancellor's District" was effective turning around failing schools[13].

During his career, Dr. Crew has been marred by unreported rapes of students, drops in test scores and organized efforts to remove independent oversight.

In New York, a report by Edward F. Stancik, the Special Commissioner of Investigation, identified the unreported rape of a 14-year-old African-American female in classroom 324 by football players. The report also identified an additional three (3) unreported rapes in the same year under Dr. Crew.[14] In Miami, Dr. Crew was once again involved in not reporting a crime and obstructing the investigation involving multiple rapes of another 14-year-old African-American female student by football players, this time at Miami Northwestern High School.[15]

In both New York and Miami, Dr. Crew organized efforts to remove independent oversight during his tenure. Immediately after Edward F. Stancik's report regarding the unreported rape in classroom 324, rather then taking action to prevent future unreported rapes of students, Dr. Crew immediately engaged in a campaign to have independent investigator Edward F. Stancik removed by accusing him of exaggerating his reports.[16] In Miami, there is a civil suite against Dr. Crew by the former Miami-Dade County Public Schools Inspector General, Herbert Cousins, a former FBI agent who alleges Dr. Crew and his staff slandered and defamed him to obstruct his investigation and disclosure of illegal activities by Dr. Crew and some board members.[17]

Like New York[18] and Tacoma[19], Miami-Dade County suffered huge drops in test scores and a 400% increase in "F" schools under Dr. Crew's tenure resulting in educational experts referring to Dr. Crew as an "Educational Fraud" who only preps students for standardized test (which his bonuses are based on) rather then a true education in the arts and sciences. The experts refer to the drop in scores under Dr. Crew when the standardized test change as proof of his depriving children of a true education.[20]

[edit] Book by Crew

  • Only Connect: The Way to Save Our Schools. New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (2007) ISBN 0374294011

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Miami - News - Bad Apple
  2. ^ frontline: the battle over school choice: interviews: rudy crew
  3. ^ Greater-Miami Chamber of Commerce, http://www.miamichamber.com/news_and_events/rcrew_july2007.asp
  4. ^ Broad Foundation, http://www.broadprize.org/prize.shtml
  5. ^ “Miami’s Rudy Crew Named 2008 National Superintendent of the Year,” The Conference Daily, http://www.aasa.org/publications/confdailyarticle.cfm?ItemNumber=10004
  6. ^ a b Miami-Dade County Public Schools • Superintendent
  7. ^ Superintendent of Schools
  8. ^ District Administration, http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=330
  9. ^ Samuel G. Freedman, "Experiment Begun in New York Is Transformed in Miami Schools," "New York Times" April 13, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/13/education/13education.html
  10. ^ “Rudy the Warrior Fights for His Brand in the Market of School Reform,” The Conference Daily, http://www.aasa.org/publications/confdailyarticle.cfm?ItemNumber=10007
  11. ^ “Miami’s Rudy Crew Named 2008 National Superintendent of the Year,” The Conference Daily, http://www.aasa.org/publications/confdailyarticle.cfm?ItemNumber=10004
  12. ^ "Fenty Looks to Miami's Crew" "Washington Post" January 25, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/24/AR2007012400668.html
  13. ^ David M. Herszenhorn, "A Special School District Is Gone, but a Study Cites Its Benefits" "New York Times" "July 7 2004" http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E3D9143BF934A35754C0A9629C8B63
  14. ^ JACQUES STEINBERG, "Withering Report Criticizes Officials Over a Rape in School" "New York Times" September 17, 1997 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE4DD1238F934A2575AC0A961958260
  15. ^ Francisco Alvarado, "Bad Apple" "Miami New Times" August 2, 2007 http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-08-02/news/bad-apple
  16. ^ ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS, "Crew Attacks School Investigator, Calling His Reports Exaggerated" "New York Times" "October 23, 1997" http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9902E2DA133EF930A15753C1A961958260
  17. ^ Francisco Alvarado, "Bad Apple" "Miami New Times" August 2, 2007 http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-08-02/news/bad-apple
  18. ^ ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS, "Citywide Reading and Math Test Scores Decline Sharply" "New York Times" "June 9, 1999" http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9902E1D8163BF93AA35755C0A96F958260
  19. ^ SUSAN EDELMAN, "CREW'S 'MIRACLE' WAS A FRAUD" "September 7, 1999" http://www.interversity.org/lists/arn-l/archives/Sep1999/msg00091.html
  20. ^ Francisco Alvarado, "Bad Apple" "Miami New Times" August 2, 2007 http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2007-08-02/news/bad-apple