Learning Strategies

Today’s Boston Globe reports on the appointment of new principals to both of the high schools in Newton. One candidate, Jennifer Price, had been a finalist for the position at Weston, though she was not the one ultimately chosen. (See my post of February 9.) I am delighted by the choice of our new principal, Anthony Parker, but I would have been equally happy with Ms. Price. I don’t know anything about the other new Newton principal, Brian Salzer. Anyway, the Globe’s story about the appointments of Price and Salzer has the following inflammatory headline, written of course by an anonymous headline writer:

Gay principals soon take helm at both Newton high schools

The article itself, by Matt Viser, isn’t at all inflammatory — in fact, it’s reasonable, positive, and even complimentary. For example:

Brian Salzer, 38, who will be the principal at Newton South High School, comes from Sauk Prairie, a small Wisconsin school district near the state capital of Madison, and was the first openly gay principal in Wisconsin.

Jennifer Price, 34, is a doctoral student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education who lives in Newton with her spouse and their two young children. She takes over at Newton North High School in July.

“In the end it’s about our leadership and what we do in the schools,” Price said yesterday of the dual appointments.

Nathan Bonneau, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators’ Association, said he wasn’t aware of any other openly gay principals in the Bay State, but could not say definitively whether Salzer and Price are the first.

Many parents said yesterday that the sexual orientation of the principals is not important.

...

Superintendent Jeffrey M. Young said that Salzer and Price were hired because they were “the two best principals.”

“People should judge them on the way they do their job,” he said. “I am thrilled that they’ll be joining our staff.”

Labels: Weston