(Vol. 4, No. 1 - Spring 2000)

Q & A with Carl Cohn,
Long Beach Unified Superintendent

Long Beach Superintendent Carl Cohn became the longest serving head of an urban district early in April 2000. Middle-school reform has taken place on his watch as part of a general effort to build a standards-based school system. Yet, as the following interview shows, Cohn credits others with the vision.

By Anne C. Lewis

Long Beach Superintendent Carl Cohn became the nation's longest serving head of an urban district early in April 2000. With more than nine years at the helm, he overcame odds that send most urban superintendents packing after an average of less than three years in the job. Middle-school reform has taken place on his watch as part of a general effort to build a standards-based school system. Yet, as the following interview shows, Cohn credits others with the vision. He sees his primary role as choosing the right people and sensing the right political decisions.

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Did you have a vision of standards-based reform in your plans when you became superintendent?

No. I don't see myself as the architect. I chose people who brought me, kicking and screaming, to the standards effort. Coming from a parochial education background myself, I was more of a strictly basics person, but I realized that foundations were interested in this kind of reform and that we could use them as outside critical friends.


What really convinced you this was the way to go?

When I saw teachers who were most excited about the changes become better able to serve their students. What we had before, as in our standardized assessments, could measure progress but not get the best and brightest teachers excited about teaching.


You say you choose the right people. What do you look for when selecting people for major leadership positions?

I look first for intelligence. Would they be knocking people's socks off? At some point, you must have people who can make things happen. Also, I take it as a challenge to woo highly qualified people away from jobs they like. Some turn me down initially, but I have this residual good feeling about a commitment to urban schools -- comes partly from studying to be a priest -- and I am able to convince others to join us.


Why have you been able to stay around long enough to lead the district through many changes?

Some superintendents want to be the smartest person in the room. I don't. I want to bring all political persuasions together and get them to agree on basic issues, such as school uniforms. My job is to create initiatives that everyone can take credit for. I also help people see issues in larger contexts.

For example, I had to convince our reading leaders that going to a more structured reading program was a matter of pride. If Inglewood and Sacramento can make such great reading gains with the program --without the talent we have -- then they're embarrassing us. On the SAT-9, I brought in all our experts and said: "If we are really doing a good job on standards, then that little test should not throw us for a loop." Also, it is important that the school board and the superintendent be seen as change agents. Because we have an image of being demanding, we have blunted the kinds of criticism that often arise when major changes are made.


What do you believe have been the best accomplishments so far?

Everything to do with the development of standards, especially the engagement of teachers around building standards-based classrooms. Why do good teachers stay? It has to be because of good support­p;we are building a healthy environment in terms of support for teaching.


Would you consider the Eighth-Grade Initiative an accomplishment?

The initiative came from a strong school board. Among other things, it was highly symbolic. It told the high schools that the district was serious about student achievement, and it had a powerful message for middle school students and parents. It is based on very traditional grading. The standard of two Fs resonated well with the public. Yet, we know that in the hands of a talented school administrator, the grading issue can lead to larger efforts to make grading more fair and equitable. That has become one of our promises for the future.


What remains to be done?

We need to do better on the SAT-9. At the same time, we are suggesting to state officials that this large urban system can get better and that we are good at defining our own interventions. This is why we are reconstituting Washington Middle School and not waiting for the state to take action and give us a ticking clock. We need standards-based report cards, which will require massive communication efforts with parents. We need to clarify and clearly define the role of academic coaches.

We need to spend a lot of time describing the standards-based classroom and communicating that to parents, teachers, and the public. Finally, we need performance-based measurements that we hold up as genuine and celebrate and that say to the community: "Standards make a difference."


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