The Good News in the Appointment of Richard Carranza as NYC School Chancellor

 

I am feeling very positive about Richard Carranza's appointment as New York City School Chancellor

Chancellor Carranza, unlike Ricardo Carvalho, was NOT on Eva Moskowitz's list of preferred candidates for NYC School Chancellor! Nor has he ever proposed the transformation of any district he has headed into an all charter district.

What this means is that there will be no dramatic attempts, during the remainder of Mayor DeBlasio's term in office, to turn New York into a majority charter district, which is where many other big-city school districts are heading, He is also a strong advocate for ethnic studies and culturally responsive pedagogy

In my judgment, we did much better with this appointment than we had any right to expect. I strongly suggest that our great principals in high needs communities like Luis E Torres and Jamaal Bowman invite him to their schools, establish a relationship with him, and show him how their schools provide models of using community history and culture to inspire students and engage parents.

Finally, I think it is a powerful statement to have a Mexican -American from a working class family as a Chancellor at a time when Mexicans are the fastest growing immigrant group in New York City To that end, I have suggested that one of our greatest young Mexican-American scholars, Melissa Castillo-Garsow, invite him to speak to her classes when she arrives at Lehman College next fall

Finally, I am very excited to have an accomplished mariachi musician as School Chancellor. Perhaps he can come to the Bronx and work with local students, dj's and rappers to create the kind of hip hop/mariachi fusion we can find in the music of many West Coast Rappers and our own local group H.C.P- Hispanos Causando Panico!