Joseph Anthony Fernandez [1] was the Chancellor of the New York City Board of Education, "the nation's largest school," [2] 1990–1993. [3]
Early life and education
Fernandez was born in Harlem, grew up there, joined the U.S. Air Force, and "earned a high school equivalency diploma;" he then went to Columbia University. [4] Before graduating, he and his wife moved to Florida to alleviate a son's health problem. Fernandez transferred to and graduated from University of Miami. [1]
Career
Florida
Fernandez began his teaching career in 1963 in Florida.
He eventually reached "superintendent of schools in Miami" [4] ("head of the schools in Dade County, Florida" [3]), a position he held for two years [5] prior to coming to New York City.
New York City
Fernandez had a "stormy three-and-a-half-year tenure as one of the highest-paid school officials in the country." [3] Fernandez's support of the 1991 Rainbow Curriculum [6] for first grade multicultural education, and his support of AIDS education in public schools, were controversies that led to his contract not being renewed in 1993. [7] His successor was the city's "sixth schools chancellor in a decade." [2]
His suspending of an entire school board in Queens was reversed by the city's Board of Education. [8]
Back to Florida
Following the end of his position in New York City, Fernandez and his wife moved back to Florida. [3]
Personal
Fernandez is "a native New Yorker" who spent "a quarter of a century in Miami." His wife's name is Lily; they have four children. [4] The son with the health problem benefited from the move to Florida. [1]
References
- ^ a b c Neil A. Lewis (September 21, 1989). "Man in the News: Joseph Anthony Fernandez; From Dropout to Chancellor". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Sam Dillon (February 11, 1993). "Board Removes Fernandez As New York Schools Chief After Stormy 3-year Term". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d Josh Barbanel (June 30, 1993). "Legacy of a Schools Chancellor; Fernandez's Changes May Not Live On After His Departure". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c James Traub (June 17, 1990). "Fernandez Takes charge". The New York Times.
- ^ Felicia R. Lee (September 25, 1989). "New Schools Chief: An Innovator and Taker of Risks". The New York Times.
- ^ New York City Public Schools (1991). "Children of the Rainbow: First Grade" (PDF). LaGuardia & Wagner Archives.
- ^ LaGuardia & Wagner Archives (2022). "First Grade Culture Wars: The Children of the Rainbow Curriculum Controversy of 1992". www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
-
^ Steven Lee Myers (December 13, 1992).
"How a 'Rainbow Curriculum' Turned Into Fighting Words".
The New York Times.
Heather Has Two Mommies
 | This United States biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |