Jean-Claude Brizard
Encyclopedia
Jean-Claude Brizard is the CEO of Chicago Public Schools
. Directly before coming to Chicago, he served as a superintendent of the Rochester City School District
. He started his career as a teacher, then an administrator in the New York School System
Brizard was born an hour north of Port-au-Prince
, Haiti. Dictator François Duvalier
had his grandfather imprisoned and his parents fled to the United States when it learned his father might be imprisoned as well. After reuniting with his family, Brizard attended public schools in Brooklyn
and earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a master’s degree in Science Education from Queens College
and a master’s degree in School Administration and Supervision from the City College of New York
.
He began his career as an instructor at Rikers Island
, later moving to George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School
, where he taught physics and became principal in 1999. In 2003 he rose to the instructional superintendency of Region 8, New York City Department of Education
. He attended the Superintendents’ Academy of the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems
in 2007.
In 2008, he assumed the superintendency of the Rochester City School District
. He became the Chicago Public Schools CEO in 2011.
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
. Directly before coming to Chicago, he served as a superintendent of the Rochester City School District
Rochester City School District
The Rochester City School District is a public school district that serves approximately 32,000 children and 10,000 adults in the city of Rochester, New York, with over 6,000 employees and a 2010–2011 operating budget of $693.7 million .The average class size ranges from 18 to 25 students...
. He started his career as a teacher, then an administrator in the New York School System
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
Brizard was born an hour north of Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haiti. Dictator François Duvalier
François Duvalier
François Duvalier was the President of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971. Duvalier first won acclaim in fighting diseases, earning him the nickname "Papa Doc" . He opposed a military coup d'état in 1950, and was elected President in 1957 on a populist and black nationalist platform...
had his grandfather imprisoned and his parents fled to the United States when it learned his father might be imprisoned as well. After reuniting with his family, Brizard attended public schools in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a master’s degree in Science Education from Queens College
Queens College, City University of New York
Queens College, located in Flushing, Queens, New York City, is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. It is also the fifth oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning. The college's seventy seven acre campus is located in the heart of the...
and a master’s degree in School Administration and Supervision from the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
.
He began his career as an instructor at Rikers Island
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
, later moving to George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School
George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School
George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School is a vocational high school in downtown Brooklyn. It is at 105 Johnson Street, south of Tillary Street and east of Jay Street.It is named after the electronics pioneer, George Westinghouse....
, where he taught physics and became principal in 1999. In 2003 he rose to the instructional superintendency of Region 8, New York City Department of Education
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
. He attended the Superintendents’ Academy of the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems
Eli Broad
Eli Broad is an American businessman from Detroit, Michigan who resides in Los Angeles, California.-Life and career:An only child, Broad was born in the Bronx to Lithuanian Jewish immigrant parents. His father was a housepainter, his mother was a dressmaker. His family moved to Detroit when he...
in 2007.
In 2008, he assumed the superintendency of the Rochester City School District
Rochester City School District
The Rochester City School District is a public school district that serves approximately 32,000 children and 10,000 adults in the city of Rochester, New York, with over 6,000 employees and a 2010–2011 operating budget of $693.7 million .The average class size ranges from 18 to 25 students...
. He became the Chicago Public Schools CEO in 2011.