New Superintendent of Schools: “If You're An Educator, You Keep Your Eye on Boston”

Tommy Chang, Boston's newly elected Superintendent of schools, spoke to necn in his first televised interview since being chosen for the position.

"If you're an educator, you keep your eye on Boston."

Tommy Chang, Boston's newly elected Superintendent of schools, has spent most of his career as a public school educator in Los Angeles, but he says Boston and it's reputation for reform has long been on his radar screen.

"I think there are these systems in place in Boston to really be a shining light for what innovative urban education can look like for the city, if not the world," Chang said.

Chang, 39, emigrated to the US from Taiwan when he was six. He went to public schools before going on to the University of Pennsylvania, initially as a pre-med student.

"So I had ambitions, or maybe my parents had ambitions for me, to be a doctor."

But Chang's path took a turn when he had the opportunity to teach sixth grade science with Teach For America.

"After two years, what I did is I realized, this is the career I want," Chang explained.

Chang went on to get a Doctorate in Education and spent six years in the classroom before becoming a Charter school Principal and most recently an instructional superintendent at LA's Intensive support and Innovation Center, which he developed. He says he looks forward to working with the unions, but is a big advocate for giving schools more freedom to make their own decisions.

"I think too often we think only a few schools should have the autonomy and only few students should have the opportunity to go to the most innovative schools. And I think those opportunities need to be available for all youth," he said.

Boston Schools face many challenges including deteriorating schools, a wide achievement gap, and budget shortfalls. Chang says his first priority will be to understand the budget but he has big plans to shake up the status quo which will include slow progress in some areas.

"But I think there needs to be pockets of disruptive change too," Chang said. "Let's radically change what a high school classroom will look like that would emulate and look like the work force of today." 

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