RACINE - James Shaw is no stranger to Racine. Shaw's father gave him his first heat-treating job at a company he owned here.

Shaw was 16. Back then, Shaw returned home at the end of the day to the south side of Milwaukee, where he grew up.

Forty-seven years and a lifetime later, Shaw, 63, admits he doesn't know Racine intimately. He's spent time here through the years.

In many ways, Shaw - the one and only finalist the Racine Unified School Board is considering for the district's open superintendent job - is a local boy who made good in the education world.

He graduated from Marquette University before embarking on a 40-year career in education, during which he's been a teacher, administrator and college professor. He never strayed too far from southeastern Wisconsin.

Most recently, he's spent the past few weeks considering the possibility that he could make a home here and take the reins of a district struggling to climb out of the achievement gap that has plagued it for years.

"Racine has this proud history of good public schools and Racine wants good public schools and that is not unusual," Shaw said. "People value schools. They value children."

Shaw is considering whether he might be a part of the change that he hopes to see in Racine. The School Board will interview Shaw today and determine if he and the district are a good match.

During his career at the University of Wisconsin, Shaw has studied Racine. He's worked with staff here as part of a program that trains urban principals.

Education has totally changed since he first entered the ranks, especially from the point of view of administration, Shaw said.

Back when he started, administrators were supposed to be managers. The idea was to run a good, smooth ship - not rock the boat - and keep things running efficiently, he said.

"The main job of schools was to sort kids. Now, because the economy has changed, sorting is not good enough," Shaw said.

The nation has a long history of organizing schools in ways that are centered on maintaining the status quo, Shaw said. The economy won't permit schools to do that anymore. All kids have to learn and achieve at higher levels.

"I think that is a positive trend, when the nation and communities demand that all kids achieve at high levels," Shaw said. "We're not prepared to do that."

Shaw has spent the past five years teaching school leaders - superintendents like he once was.

There is a great need to improve public education, especially in urban areas. As a former superintendent, Shaw knows the importance of studying the issue.

Shaw thought the real test of the work he's done at UW was whether leaders could actually have an impact, and whether they could put the theory and the research to the test and improve education for more students.

For Shaw, that means getting back into the trenches. Even though he's at an age when he could retire if he wanted and ride off into the sunset after a long and successful career in education, he's not ready to do that.

"This is a lot of work. You don't have time for much more. The superintendency is a way of life," Shaw said. "You have to like it. It really does consume most of your hours."