New York’s implementation of the ESSA accountability system has produced a bureaucratic quagmire worthy of Orwell, Dickens or Kafka.
How the NYS Ed Department distorts school performance
The New York State Education Department’s accountability system distorts school performance in absurd ways and with perverse results.
Is New York’s Education Department capable of transforming itself?
With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, New York’s Ed Dept has a huge opportunity to reinvent itself. But is it capable of transformation?
US Senate bill would eliminate punitive nature of NCLB
The New York State Education Department has fetishized failure, distorting overall school performance. Fortunately, relief may be on its way in the form of a bipartisan bill to revise the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law and eliminate its most punitive elements.
Minimum qualifications for NY’s Commissioner of Education
The New York State Education Department has posted the job of Commissioner of Education. The stated qualifications are boilerplate and underwhelming. I suggest that NYSED’s HR department amend the posting to add the following.
Applicants for the position of Commissioner of Education must demonstrate
– The ability to inspire the state’s professional educators to extraordinary levels of performance.
– Evidence of having eliminated wasteful, bureaucratic burdens on school districts.
– A history of transparency as a leader.
Strategic planning specifically for a BOCES
Have state and federal mandates drained the energy and passion from your BOCES? Is morale low? It doesn’t have to be that way. Reenergize your BOCES. Retake your future. Reengage, recharge and reinvest your faculty, staff and community. Articulate a new mission, vision and core beliefs. Set strategic targets. Articulate priorities, allocate resources, plan and execute.
State ed predicts sharp decline in ELA and Math pass rates
The New York State Education Department is predicting a sharp decline in ELA and Math pass rates.
Cornell Chronicle: Apps put the power of data in hands of NY schools
An recent article in the Cornell Chronicle features two apps designed and developed by Prism Decision Systems: SchoolBenchmarker™ and Budget Playground™. “Our overarching goal is the transformation of how statewide education data is being used by schools,” said Sean Brady, president of Prism Decision Systems LLC. “Previously, education data was used primarily for reporting. It was rarely used to support decision making.” Read on at http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/June12/SchoolTools.html
Benchmarking as an improvement tool
Race to the Top has school improvement teams working especially hard to improve performance. With the the New York State Center for Rural School’s official release of the innovative SchoolBenchmarker™ it’s a perfect time to ask: How can I use benchmarking as a school improvement tool? Read on at http://prismdecision.com/benchmarking-as-an-improvement-tool
SchoolBenchmarker™ getting rave user reviews
Try SchoolBenchmarker™ now and let us know if you agree with the enthusiastic user reviews we are receiving. For example: “SchoolBenchmarker™ is fantastic! In a few minutes, I can get the benchmarking information it took my district a month to get last year working on our own!” – Mark P. Mondanaro, Superintendent of Schools, Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda UFSD