Walking the walk

I went to a meeting in New York City this week to learn about New Leaders for New Schools.  This organization is committed to improving scores in underperforming schools by training new principals.  They generally like to run charter schools, and I know there is quite a bit of criticism regarding charters in New Orleans. It seems that the goal of NLNS is to get 90% proficiency by 90% of the students - an admirable goal.  I am not sure that I subscribe to the assessing of students/schools/staff/districts by standardized testing. 
Passing a test is only one thing that students can take from an education.  There are many more goals that can't be assessed from a test - commitment to community, caring for one another, working hard for its own sake, etc.  Nevertheless, I went to an informational meeting to see if I was the right person to move to New Orleans, become a principal, and help begin healing 40 years of neglect of the education system.  I may not have the personality or background to become a principal, but there was no harm in checking it out.  I need to look closely at my own skills, determination, and commitment before moving forward.  They have some very special requirements for New Leaders for New Schools, and I plan on spending some time contemplating my next move.