New Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter Barely Taught Before Rising in NYC DOE
New NYC Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter has a thin teaching background for someone running the largest school system in the country. Her resume raises questions about what qualifies someone for the job.
Porter spent about three years as a classroom teacher before moving into administration. The rest of her career has been management roles progressively further from actual teaching.
Chalkbeat examined her career path and what it says about NYC DOE priorities.
The argument for administrators like Porter is that running a massive bureaucracy requires management skills more than teaching experience. The counter is that educational leadership should understand classrooms.
Education administration has long debated whether leaders need deep classroom experience. NYC just made its position clear.
Porter rose through the system as a Bronx superintendent before being tapped for chancellor. She knows the bureaucracy even if her teaching years were limited.
Teachers unions have noted the disconnect. Those actually in classrooms wonder if leadership understands their daily reality.
Whether Porter succeeds depends on whether she can navigate politics budgets and unions while keeping focus on students. The teaching resume is just one factor.
Profile March 2021
