Joel Klein

Joel Klein, CC ’67 and chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, will speak at this year’s Columbia College Class Day, scheduled for May 19. While loud music and free drinks built an ambience of expectation during a launch party at Havana Central, one student called the decision “anticlimactic,” and most students polled said they did not recognize the name.

For the past two years, Columbia College students have been in an uproar over their Class Day speakers. Whether one judges by the protests over Senator John McCain’s politics or the general skepticism over the credentials of actor Matthew Fox, it is clear that the annual selection is no stranger to controversy. This year’s choice, however, may only be met with indifference.

Joel Klein, CC '67 and chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, will speak at this year's Columbia College Class Day, scheduled for May 19. As the head of the largest public school system in the country, Klein oversees more than 1,400 schools and 1.1 million students.

Thousands of New York City eighth graders gear up for high school each summer, but some may face difficulties later this year given Chancellor of Education Joel Klein’s plans to allow only well-prepared students to make the transition.

Five days after the New York City Department of Education was legally required to submit class-size statistics, parents, teachers, and educational advocates are still waiting for the data.

New York City Schools’ Chancellor Joel Klein has announced a plan to restrict admission to Gifted and Talented programs in public schools to students who score in the top 5 percent on standardized tests.