Brenda Cassellius calls herself a Head Start baby. Even now, more than four decades after she left the program, she remembers reading the book “Harold and the Purple Crayon” over and over again, devouring the story of the little boy who wants to go for a walk in the moonlight and, facing a blank page, draws a path.
Now 51, she has spent decades in other classrooms and school systems, most recently serving as the statewide commissioner of education in Minnesota. But it is her experience as a poor, black child in a Head Start classroom in Minneapolis that she says defines her values and her vision for education.
“I learned all of the wonderful things about being a learner in Head Start,” Cassellius said this week, during a brief break from being grilled by parents, teachers and school officials.
Cassellius is currently a finalist in two public job searches: She is vying to lead Boston’s public schools, and she’s also in the running to be Michigan state superintendent. The Boston School Committee is expected to vote for superintendent on May 1, a week beforeMichigan is scheduled to make its decision.