Black Cleared as NYC Schools Chief

After much controversy and hand-wringing, NYC officials have finally struck a deal with Mayor Michael Bloomberg to allow media exec Cathie Black to take the reins of the city’s public-school system. Black, who hails from Hearst’s magazine empire, does not have an education certificate, meaning that the city’s school commissioner must grant her a waiver to fill the post—something he has not been inclined to do, given her lack of experience. However, all parties agreed to a deal that will give Black a deputy—namely, Shael Polakow-Suransky, the school system’s chief accountability officer.