An Editor Who Deserves a 'Contrarian' Label

School Administrator, Sept, 1998

For more than two decades, newspaper editor Frosty Troy has been a mainstay on the education conference speaker circuit, spinning entertaining variations on a similar theme: "America's Greatest Success Story: Public Education."

His irreverence, colorful expressions and marshaling of facts in support of an institution he greatly reveres make Frosty a popular presenter among educators. By his counting, he delivered 1.27 speeches, mostly on education, last year, plus occasional commentaries for National Public Radio.

Frosty is the longtime editor of and crusading spirit behind The Oklahoma Observer, an independent, twice-a-month journal of politics and social issues. His publication, which has 25,000 subscribers, doesn't solicit advertising, which gives him uninhibited freedom to speak his mind.

As an investigative journalist, he's not blind to the serious problems facing schools. Still, he was a logical choice to contribute to this issue of The School Administrator, which is devoted to a defense of public education. When we asked a sampling of administrators around the country what they knew of Frosty before we extended him an invitation, the response was enthusiastic. Said one Oklahoma-based school leader: "Frosty is a sure thing."

By our definition, Frosty qualifies as a "contrarian"--a rare journalist willing to consistently find that public education's merits far outweigh its faults. He is joined in this issue by David Berliner, an education school dean who was among the first to receive the contrarian label from The School Administrator in our widely quoted May 1996 issue, which featured essays from six leading defenders of America's public schools. (If you weren't an AASA member back then and would like a copy of our "Contrarians" issue, drop me a line.)

We hope you discover this month's editorial fare is equally provocative and potentially useful to your own thinking about how to respond to the criticism often leveled at our schools. I invite your reaction.

Jay P. Goldman

Voice: 703-875-0745

E-mail: jgoldman@aasa.org