Joel Klein deserves a ton of credit for what he accomplished in New York City. The Big Apple has been the epicenter of education reform for almost a decade now, thanks to him. His support for charter schools, willingness to challenge the teachers’ union, obsession with improving teacher effectiveness, and far-sightedness about the use of technology will earn him a respected place in American education history, and has been an example for other reform-oriented superintendents nationwide. He wasn’t perfect, of course, and was a particularly slow learner when it came to curricular and pedagogical issues. But by making New York City a magnet for education entrepreneurs and change agents, he has put in place a culture of improvement that won’t easily be undone.

As for the next chapter under Cathie Black, it’s anyone’s guess. Joel Klein and other non-traditional superintendents have demonstrated that you don’t have to be an educator to be successful, and her management savvy will be needed when it’s time to right-size the district. Impending budget cuts will make that unavoidable. Here’s hoping she learns from Klein’s mistakes, most notably not to “trust the experts” when it comes to the teaching-and-learning side of the enterprise.

— Michael J. Petrilli is executive vice president at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and blogs at Flypaper.