Unintended, Unforeseen Consequences
The challenges surrounding the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) plan to replace principals at underperforming schools across the nation ( New York Times : "U.S. Plan to Replace Principals Hits Snag: Who Will Step In?" ) reminds me of the unintended consequences of California's class size reduction policies during the 1990s. As the New York Times reported yesterday about the ED's $4 billion plan to radically transform the country’s worst schools by installing new principals to overhaul most of the failing schools, "[T]here simply were not enough qualified principals-in-waiting to take over." California experienced a similar human capital problem when it reduced class sizes statewide in grades k-3. An unintended consequence of its state policy was the hiring of more emergency-credentialed and unqualified educators as a result of the additional teaching positions needed to enable smaller class sizes. As this Center for the Future of Teaching and Lear...