Shael Polakow-Suransky
Encyclopedia
Shael Polakow-Suransky, 38 in late 2010, a former teacher and principal, was due to be named the chief academic officer of the New York City Public Schools. The appointment was part of a compromise after Mayor Michael Bloomberg
nominated a business executive with almost no educational experience, Cathie Black
, as chancellor in 2010. As academic officer Polakow-Suransky will be second-in-command to the chancellor, and will oversee teaching, learning and accountability. Black was required to obtain a waiver of qualifications from the New York State Education Department
Commissioner
David M. Steiner and the waiver was conditioned on a concurrent appointment of a qualified academic officer. Polakow-Suransky was named and the waiver was granted.
Polakow-Suransky was previously the deputy chancellor for accountability in New York, the largest school district in the nation. He started in the district as a mathematics teacher, was then assistant principal at Bread and Roses Integrated Arts High School in Harlem
and then founding principal of an innovative school, Bronx International High School, designed to educate recent immigrants.
, earned a master's degree in educational leadership from Bank Street College of Education
and in 2008 "was a fellow at the Broad Superintendents Academy, a training program founded by the philanthropist Eli Broad
that has been a catalyst for the new wave of education reformists.". He was married to Brown University classmate, Brienin Bryant, an actress who died last year of breast cancer.
They had no children.
Sasha Polakow-Suransky, an editor at Foreign Affairs
, is his younger brother.
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
nominated a business executive with almost no educational experience, Cathie Black
Cathie Black
Cathleen Prunty "Cathie" Black is a former New York City Schools Chancellor. On April 7, 2011, Black stepped down from her position after 95 days on the job. Her appointment to replace longtime Chancellor Joel Klein was announced on November 9, 2010 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and became effective...
, as chancellor in 2010. As academic officer Polakow-Suransky will be second-in-command to the chancellor, and will oversee teaching, learning and accountability. Black was required to obtain a waiver of qualifications from the New York State Education Department
New York State Education Department
The New York State Education Department is the state education department in New York. It is part of the University of the State of New York , one of the most complete, interconnected systems of educational services in the United States...
Commissioner
Commissioner of Education of the State of New York
The Commissioner of Education of the State of New York is the head of the state education department. The Board of Regents chooses a Commissioner of Education who heads the State Education Department and also serves as the President of the University of the State of New York office...
David M. Steiner and the waiver was conditioned on a concurrent appointment of a qualified academic officer. Polakow-Suransky was named and the waiver was granted.
Polakow-Suransky was previously the deputy chancellor for accountability in New York, the largest school district in the nation. He started in the district as a mathematics teacher, was then assistant principal at Bread and Roses Integrated Arts High School in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
and then founding principal of an innovative school, Bronx International High School, designed to educate recent immigrants.
Personal
Born in South Africa to anti-apartheid parents who emigrated to Michigan in 1973, Polakow-Suransky attended Ann Arbor's alternative Community High School, attended the Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP), studied as an undergraduate at Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, earned a master's degree in educational leadership from Bank Street College of Education
Bank Street College of Education
Bank Street College of Education is located in Manhattan, New York City.-History:Bank Street was founded in 1916 by Lucy Sprague Mitchell as the "Bureau of Educational Experiments"....
and in 2008 "was a fellow at the Broad Superintendents Academy, a training program founded by the philanthropist Eli Broad
Eli Broad
Eli Broad is an American businessman from Detroit, Michigan who resides in Los Angeles, California.-Life and career:An only child, Broad was born in the Bronx to Lithuanian Jewish immigrant parents. His father was a housepainter, his mother was a dressmaker. His family moved to Detroit when he...
that has been a catalyst for the new wave of education reformists.". He was married to Brown University classmate, Brienin Bryant, an actress who died last year of breast cancer.
They had no children.
Sasha Polakow-Suransky, an editor at Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
, is his younger brother.