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Key Topics include: Leadership · Vocational Education · Career and Technical Education · Parents and Community · Trends in Education · Urban Education · Making the Tough Decisions · Improving Student Performance · ARCHIVE
The 2008 winner of the AASA’s National Superintendent of the Year award, noted author, accomplished leader and superintendent, and dedicated educator, Dr. Rudy Crew is our guest in this 1st episode of the second year of The District Leader’s Podcast.
Dr. Rudy Crew shares insights about the initiatives while at Miami-Dade County Public Schools (FL) with District Leader’s Podcast host Carolyn Pearson. In this most unusual opportunity, a former student and teacher from his system (Carolyn) interviews the superintendent and they discuss the many initiatives which are drawing national recognition. Dr. Crew is transparent about the challenges of the superintendency, the system-wide efforts for improvement and the rewards of serving individuals and communities.
- What and who inspires a Superintendent of the Year?
- How do you engage 100,000+ parents over 3 years in classes at the schools?
- What are your toughest decisions?
- How do “credit card repair” and “house buying” influences parent involvement? and
- What happens when former student interviews the superintendent?
Tune in to hear Dr. Rudy Crew shares recent strategies for improving schools and
his vision for school leadership, worldwide!
This excerpt from Dr. Crew’s official biography highlights several of his and the district’s achievements,
Dr. Crew is transforming Miami-Dade through such innovations as The Parent Academy, the School Improvement Zone, and Secondary School Reform initiative. On the horizon is the Education Council of International Cities (ECIC), which will focus on identifying international benchmarks for a world-class education, considering not only the academic outlook but the economic implications as well. Among the highlights are rising student achievement levels, higher academic and conduct standards, and dramatically reduced overcrowding, including a 91 percent decrease in the student-station deficit. This success has been acknowledged by the Broad Foundation which has recognized the District as a 2006 and 2007 Broad Prize for Urban Education finalist, and the system is now viewed as a model for other districts across the nation. (M-D Superintendent web site)
Join the District Leader’s Podcast for another informative and inspiring episode as you listen to Episode 21 on your computer, or take us “on the road” with you via MP3 player, iPod or cell phone.
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Biographical Background
On July 1, 2004, The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida appointed Dr. Rudy Crew as Superintendent of the nation’s fourth-largest school district. Dr. Crew is a lifelong educator whose career has spanned from the classroom to the chancellorship of the nation’s largest school district, New York City Public Schools, where he served from 1995-1999. He has worked closely with a gamut of stakeholders to craft a strategic plan that has set a clear and compelling vision and direction for the District. Under his leadership, the District is progressing dramatically on several fronts.
Prior to his appointment in Miami-Dade, Dr. Crew served as director of district reform initiatives at the Stupski Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation created in 1996 to support the improvement of public education. In that role, Dr. Crew led a team that supported selected school districts in comprehensive systems improvement.
Before joining the Stupski Foundation, Dr. Crew served as executive director of the Institute for K-12 Leadership, a partnership of the University of Washington in Seattle and WestEd, based in San Francisco. As chancellor of New York City Public Schools, Dr. Crew led a number of reforms, including adoption of curriculum standards for all schools, elimination of tenure for principals, and introduction of school-based budgeting. He was instrumental in closing failing schools and replacing failing educators. Dr. Crew established the Math and Science Institute, an after-school and Saturday program to help poor black and Latino students boost their academic performance. He created a Superintendents’ and Principals’ Institute to cultivate and nurture school leadership.
Dr. Crew is a nationally-acclaimed educator and author. His recent publication, Only Connect: The Way to Save Our Schools, is guiding a public discussion. Dr. Crew has received many honors, including the 2008 AASA National Superintendent of the Year; the Florida Association of Partners in Education Superintendent’s Award (2007); the Spirit of Excellence Award from the Minority Development & Empowerment, Inc. (2007); the Vann Miller Award for Outstanding Educational Administrator presented by the Illinois Association of School Administrators (2003); the Living the Dream Award presented by New York Governor George Pataki (1997); and the Arthur Ashe Leadership Award (1996). Dr. Crew on several boards and task forces including the Carnegie Foundation’s Commission on Mathematics and Science Education, Al Shanker Institute, USC Rossier School of Education Board of Councilors, the National Superintendents Roundtable, Public Education Network, Black Equity Alliance, the National Research Council’s Committee on Scientific Principles of Education Research, and the Education Task Force. Dr. Crew is an associate in education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he has been part of the Urban Superintendent Program since 1992.
Dr. Crew’s ability to connect with youth has made him a popular figure among students in the classrooms he visits. A believer in participatory teaching, he enjoys interacting with students and sharing in their challenges and successes. Dr. Crew has long believed in passing on to others the opportunities that have been afforded him throughout his childhood and his adult life. He credits his father with encouraging him to excel. Dr. Crew was the first male in his family to go to college.
A native of Poughkeepsie, New York, Dr. Crew holds a doctor of education degree in educational administration and a master of education degree in urban education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in management from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007-2008. All rights reserved.
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