The Perkins Platform

Before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans had some of the worst schools in the nation, rapid superintendent turnover, and a human resources and financial crisis leaving over $3 million in salary and benefits being paid to deceased employees. After Katrina, the city underwent several drastic shifts with the most prominent being the decentralization of the education system and the creation of one of the...

*Rescheduled Show* Last week's show was postponed due to technical difficulites.  Please join us for an exciting show discussing the challenges facing urban school boards in today's political climate.  Ms. Minnie Forte-Brown, Chair- Council of Urban Boards of Education is our featured guest.  The troubled political atmosphere in our nation's centers has created a wave of discontent...

Currently, there is considerable debate on the sustainability of urban school turn around efforts.  In 2009, the Obama Administration announced its intention to "turn around" 5,000 of the nation's lowest performing schools.  Since that time, school districts have scrambled to find district and school-level leaders who specialize in this work.  Critics say it's not sustainable w...

The guests for the February show will be Drs. Yvette Jackson and Veronica McDermott, co-authors of Aim High, Achieve More How to Transform Urban Schools Through Fearless Leadership (ASCD Press).  We will discuss how expectations impact student performance and success particularly in urban communities.  We will also discuss how leaders cultivate cultures of high expectation in their schools.   Dr....

The January guest was scheduled to be Dr. Joshua Starr, Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools-Maryland. Dr. Starr began his tenure as Montgomery County Public Schools’ superintendent of schools on July 1, 2011, after having been the superintendent in Stamford, Connecticut.  In the middle of major curriculum revision, Dr. Starr has called for a 3-year moratorium on standardized testing...

Our December guest is Mr. Jean Claude Brizard, former Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools.  Recently, Mr. Brizard and the CPS Board of Education were in the media spotlight with the 2012 CPS teacher strike.  Prior to his appointment in Chicago, he was Superintendent of Schools for the Rochester City School District (Rochester, NY), a position he held for three years.  Our conversatio...

The November Special Edition (1 hour) will feature two special guests who are the chief architects for the ongoing merger of Shelby County and Memphis City Public Schools - David Pickler and Martavius Jones.  The unification is considered to be the largest school district consolidation in American history. Fraught with historical tensions, issues of race and equity, this is a consolidation ambitio...

 The October Guest is Ms. Betsy Landers, President – PTA.  We will discuss how the PTA encourages parents to participate in the educational process and the ways in which school leaders can better engage parents to be active participants in their child's educational program. From the moment she joined PTA® in 1989, Landers’ dedication to PTA has been unwavering. When she encountered challenges...

The September 2012 broadcast of The Perkins Platform will focus on the challenges that school board members across the nation face to insure high quality education experiences to all children.  Recent challenges to the need for school boards  have placed many board members on the defense and left many fighting to stay relevant.  Our special guest will be Dr. Anne Bryant - Executive Director of the...

The preimer broadcast of The Perkins Platform will feature the executive director of the American Association of School Adminsitrators, Dr. Dan Domenech.  The host is Dr. Brian Perkins - Director of the Urban Education Leaders Program at Teachers College Columbia University.  Dr. Perkins is a national expert on urban school climate and urban district leadership.  He has more than a decade of exper...