| Joel Klein | |
|---|---|
| New York City School Chancellor | |
| In office August 19, 2002 – January 1, 2011 |
|
| Appointed by | Michael Bloomberg |
| Preceded by | Harold O. Levy |
| Succeeded by | Cathie Black |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 25, 1946 Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality | United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Nicole Seligman |
| Alma mater | Harvard Law School (J.D.) Columbia University (B.A.) |
| Religion | Jewish |
Joel Irwin Klein (born October 25, 1946) was Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, the largest public school system in the United States, serving more than 1.1 million students in more than 1,600 schools. He was succeeded by Cathie Black in January 2011.
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Klein grew up in New York City and attended public schools, graduating from William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens in 1963. He attended Columbia University, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School, again graduating magna cum laude, in 1971. He then clerked for Chief Judge David Bazelon on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1973 until 1974, before then clerking for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell.
In 1975, Klein joined the legal team of the Washington, D.C. non-profit Mental Health Law Project. The MHLP was an independent non-profit organization that brought class-action suits to establish rights for mentally and developmentally disabled clients. In that capacity, Klein developed a specialty in health care and constitutional matters.[1] After working there for a year, he went into private practice, working for five years before founding his own law firm with several partners. In the 1990s Klein served in the White House Counsel's office under President Bill Clinton before being appointed to the United States Department of Justice. There he served as United States Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division. In this capacity, he was the lead prosecutor in the antitrust case United States v. Microsoft. Prior to his appointment to Chancellor in 2002[2] by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Klein was Counsel to Bertelsmann, an international media group.
Klein was rumored to be one of Barack Obama's candidates for Secretary of Education.[3] Ultimately, the position went to the Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools, Arne Duncan.
In 1998, before Klein became Chancellor, the New York City Board of Education transferred responsibility for school safety to the New York City Police Department.[4] Klein has been criticized for not seeking to alter this arrangement or to curb the conduct of the Police Department's school safety agents in the face of allegations of abuse.[4][5] Klein has praised the work of the school safety agents in contributing to a decrease in crime in the public schools.[6]
On June 30, 2009, the New York State Senate declined to renew mayoral control. Mayoral control had allowed Mayor Bloomberg to have complete control of the school system.[7] Mayoral control was restored that August with some revisions.[8]
In 2005, Klein fired Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi from the teacher training program, reportedly because of Khalidi's political views. After the controversial decision, Columbia University president Lee Bollinger spoke out on Khalidi's behalf, writing: "The department's decision to dismiss Professor Khalidi from the program was wrong and violates First Amendment principles.... The decision was based solely on his purported political views and was made without any consultation and apparently without any review of the facts."[9] The program's creator Mark Willner stated that (Khalidi) "spoke on geography and demography," and that "There was nothing controversial, nothing political."[9]
On November 9, 2010, Bloomberg announced that Klein would resign as chancellor and would take a position as an executive vice president for News Corporation. Klein's date of departure was not immediately clear but it was later announced that he would be gone at the end of the year.[10] He was replaced by Cathie Black, chairman of Hearst Magazines and former president of USA Today, on January 1, 2011.
On July 6, 2011, Rupert Murdoch, chairman of the News Corporation[11] and the company's CEO, announced that Joel Klein would "provide important oversight and guidance" in the internal investigation of phone hacking at News of the World.[12] Klein took over the investigation, with fellow director Viet D. Dinh, from News International UK Chief Executive, Rebekah Brooks, whose own involvement in the phone hacking scandal made her unable to continue as an impartial investigator.[13]
Despite their opposing positions in the Justice Department antitrust case against Microsoft, Klein was able to work with the Gates Foundation to fund the creation of smaller schools in New York City. At the 43 small high schools funded by the Gates Foundation graduation rates are 73% compared to 53% at the schools they replaced.[14]
In 2009, Klein was awarded the annual "effecting change" award from 100 Women in Hedge Funds[15]
Klein is married to Nicole Seligman, General Counsel to Howard Stringer of Sony Corp. Seligman represented former President Bill Clinton during impeachment proceedings in the United States Senate.
| Educational offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Harold O. Levy |
Schools Chancellor of New York City 2002-2010 |
Succeeded by Cathie Black |
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