Anthony Amato: take 2,.I will forgive Anthony Amato if the next time we call to interview him, he declines. Because of the brouhaha he's currently embroiled em·broil tr.v. em·broiled, em·broil·ing, em·broils 1. To involve in argument, contention, or hostile actions: "Avoid . . . in as he fights to save his job as New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded school superintendent Noun 1. school superintendent - the superintendent of a school system overseer, superintendent - a person who directs and manages an organization , I'm sure Amato hasn't realized an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. coincidence. About two years ago, DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION readied a profile on the hot superintendent of Hartford, Conn. Amato was in the news at that time because he had been a finalist in some very public superintendent searches across the country. We wanted to see how his job-hunting affected what he was doing in Hartford. The story was written and going to press, when the wheels started to turn quickly. Under pressure from the board because, in part, of his job hunting, Amato abruptly a·brupt adj. 1. Unexpectedly sudden: an abrupt change in the weather. 2. Surprisingly curt; brusque: an abrupt answer made in anger. 3. resigned, The story, of course, was pulled. This spring, about 18 months after Amato had taken the New Orleans job, we set out again to prone him and the drastic changes he was making in the biggest school district in Louisiana. Again, the story was written and ready. Again, trouble interrupted in·ter·rupt v. in·ter·rupt·ed, in·ter·rupt·ing, in·ter·rupts v.tr. 1. To break the continuity or uniformity of: Rain interrupted our baseball game. 2. . This time, with a state bill pending that would give Amato more power at the board's expense, the board of education decided to fire Amato before the bill could pass. Five possible replacements were named in the press and a 51-page folder In a graphical user interface (GUI), a simulated file folder that holds data, applications and other folders. Folders were introduced on the Xerox Star, then popularized on the Macintosh and later adapted to Windows and Unix. In Unix and Linux, as well as DOS and Windows 3. of supposed Amato wrongdoings was readied by one of the board members. But as you'll see in this month's feature, ("Will He Survive?" page 36) this time the tale doesn't have such a neat ending. As I write this, on June 10, Amato still has his job and looks as if he'll retain it, at least until this magazine hits your desk. The irony in this story is that one of Amato's biggest efforts upon joining New Orleans was to take the emphasis off policies and procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental and put it back on children and how to improve their education. And that's where the lesson for other superintendents can come in. While I expect that not many of you will ever find yourself in as big a fight as Amato is, many of you will face skirmishes with your board or the public during your tenure. In this age of accountability, everyone wants to measure results quicker than before. Use this trend to your advantage. Set realistic goals, use multiple ways to judge your students' progress, and by all means, make sure you communicate with your staff, board and the public. This won't guarantee that you'll never get into a fight, but it may help you argue your way out of one. |
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