Joel Klein's Mayoral Control of Schools Update

Educators in New York City and beyond have been following the news around what is taking place in Albany as the gridlocked Senate failed to take up a bill to reauthorize mayoral control of the public school system. Today School Chancellor Joel Klein spoke to his staff and shared this email about where the NYC DOE currently stands.

Dear Colleagues,

I am sure you have been following the events in Albany and have many questions about the future of our school system. While we obviously have many questions, we cannot put the education of New York City’s students at risk because of Albany’s inaction on mayoral control of the public schools. In this e-mail, I will outline what we know and what we don’t know.

• Community Education Councils: The 2002 law that put the New York City mayor in charge of the City’s public schools expired yesterday. This same law also created the Community Education Councils and the Citywide Council on Special Education. Since the law has expired, these education councils no longer formally exist. However, I am urging the Community Education Councils and the Citywide Council on Special Education, as well as the Citywide Council on High Schools, to continue meeting, at least until September when we hope to have more clarity. During this time, we will continue to support their administrative assistants. If the Councils decide not to continue their work, we’ve asked them to notify us immediately.
• Panel for Educational Policy: The Panel for Educational Policy also ceases to exist today. The borough presidents and the Mayor have reconstituted the Board of Education to replace the Panel for Educational Policy.
• Board of Education: The newly reconstituted Board of Education met at Tweed Courthouse this afternoon. It approved two resolutions:
  -First, the Board appointed me to continue serving as chancellor and delegated to me all of the powers that can be delegated under the law. This allows us to maintain continuity in our school system.
  -Second, noting that the State Assembly had adopted Assembly Bill no. 8903-a, which would extend Mayoral Control until 2015, while the State Senate had failed to act on an identical bill, Senate Bill no. S5887, the Board urged the State Senate to take immediate action to enact S5887.
• Summer School: Summer school started today, as planned. School staff is expected to report to work as usual and serve our schoolchildren.
• Support: Our central and field operations also remain in place and continue to support schools. This means School Support Organizations, Integrated Service Centers, and central staff are continuing to fulfill their responsibilities. We have instructed principals to call their SSOs and ISCs with any questions about the current situation or any regular issue related to school operations.
  

We have made great strides over the past seven years, and, together, we have implemented significant reforms that have improved the City’s public schools and our students’ academic results. I know we are working in an environment of uncertainty and that we all have many questions. I will work to keep you updated as we move through this period. I thank you all for your continued efforts to serve the students of New York City to the best of your ability, even during these uncertain times.

Sincerely,

Joel I. Klein

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The Innovative Educator Begins New Role as Technology Innovation Manager

This is my first post written in my new role of Technology Innovation Manager at the New York City Department of Education. In this position I am responsible for overseeing the work of educators using innovative technology to enhance teaching, learning, and leading in Manhattan. I will have a team of Technology Integration Specialists who will work directly with educators to integrate technology into instruction to improve student outcomes. I will also oversee the management for the evaluation of the efficacy of instructional technology programs and will help to implement promising practices in Manhattan that if successful will be put into practice across NYC and beyond.

Specifically I will be working to improve students’ academic performance in the core subject areas of English language arts, mathematics, science and technology literacy through effective use of technology in the process of teaching and learning in these three categories:

1. Leadership and System Change through Technology Innovation;

1. Educational Leadership in Technology Infusion
2. System Change of Teaching and Learning through Technology
3. Innovative Approach to Technology Literacy and 21st Century Skills Acquisition and Assessment

2. Technology Infusion into Instruction through Professional Development;

1. Embedded and Personalized Professional Development on Technology Infusion
2. Pairing and Mentoring Professional Development on Technology Infusion Expanding Professional
3. Development Opportunities through Online Technology

3. Data-driven Differentiated Instruction and Learning;

1. Data-driven Personalized Instruction
2. Formative Assessment and Adaptive Learning
3. Performance-based and Innovative Assessment

In addition to the opportunity to bring new and innovative ideas to the NYC DOE, what also excites me is the new structure in which this work will occur. In New York City each school is aligned with one of eleven school support organizations (SSOs). Our work will be developed and implemented in direct partnership with these SSOs based on the needs of their schools in direct alignment with priorities of the Chancellor. This means the work we are doing will be on the radar and directly supported by the city’s Chancellor-a great way to ensure success of this exciting work.

This position will enable me to be involved in many exciting and innovative projects with a true opportunity to systemically transform education in positive ways. I look forward to sharing the possibilities, transformations, and realizations here on The Innovative Educator.

You have read this article New York City Department of Education / Technology Innovation Manager with the title New York City Department of Education. You can bookmark this page URL http://machining33.blogspot.com/2009/03/the-innovative-educator-begins-new-role.html. Thanks!