| Description: | Economic development and job creation is all about looking forward, not backward; about offense, not defense.
Walcott is New York's schools chancellor.
Hurricane Sandy destroyed more than 500 homes and inundated more than 10,000 others with 10 feet of water or more. No power, no heat, and no hot water - and the first snow storm of the season was days away.
We've made historic gains - and our students are the better for it. Tens of thousands more have gone to college, and tens of thousands more are on that path. What was once considered impossible is the new baseline.
When I joined Mayor Bloomberg's administration in 2002, I knew that hard truths needed to be told and dramatic changes needed to happen.
The evidence of New Yorkers' embrace of city streets is all around us. They vote with their feet, MetroCards and pedals. Poll after poll has shown widespread support for pedestrian plazas, bus lanes and bike lanes. A world class city deserves world clas |