McGinley has held a key post in S.C.

Nancy J. McGinley is known for quickly reforming troubled schools as a principal and in higher-level positions, though never as a superintendent.

As a principal in Philadelphia, where she has spent most of her education career, McGinley turned around one of the poorest-performing middle schools. She also won an award for her leadership of the state's largest junior high school.

For the last two years, she has been the chief academic officer of Charleston County, S.C., schools, overseeing student achievement and discipline. McGinley declined to comment yesterday.

McGinley, 51, was one of two finalists in March for the Cleveland superintendent's post, but board members did not pick her because they were wary of Charleston's lack of a teachers union and questioned whether McGinley had the political skills, according to newspaper reports.

But she has received a huge vote of confidence in her leadership skills from Superintendent Paul Vallas of Philadelphia. She served as his senior adviser on school reform initiatives and has been a teacher, principal, and administrator in Philadelphia during her more than 25-year career there. Vallas told the Plain Dealer in Cleveland that McGinley would be a prime candidate to replace him if he were to leave his post.

Charleston County recruited her to help raise its students' achievement in a system that has been plagued for years by student violence. .

McGinley made discipline a priority in Charleston County, adding alternative programs for at-risk students and giving schools staff members trained to help with discipline. She extended the school day at two problem schools.

TRACY JAN