LA Unified is America's second largest public school district. With almost 800,000 students, it's more populous than the City of San Francisco. Despite pockets of excellence, LAUSD has a reputation for failure, much emphasized by Mayor Villaraigosa. The Legislature gave Villagraigosa a role in choosing the next superintendent, but with the new law not yet having taken effect, the elected school board seized the moment while the Mayor was in Asia. Unanimously, it chose retired Vice Admiral David Brewer, III. A military man who headed the Military Sealift Command until early this year has no direct experience in education, but he says family history proves it's in his DNA. Brewer says he's not a "reformer," he's a "transformer." What does he mean? Does he have a philosophy of education? Can he cope with America's most diverse student body and LA's local politics?
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