State Education Department Commissioner MaryEllen Elia has appointed a Distinguished Educator for the Rochester school district, a response, she said, to the district’s persistent problems. Elia appointed Dr. Kenneth Eastwood, whose 30 years of experience include service as superintendent of the Oswego and Middletown, New York, school districts. He’ll work with Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams, the […]
New York State Education Department
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Attorney General and State Ed investigating Trevyan Rowe’s death
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia have begun an investigation into the death of School 12 student Trevyan Rowe. The investigation will look at the circumstances surrounding his death and will review the district’s policies and procedures to determine what improvements need to be made, according […]
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Revised law empowers school supers
A revision to the state education law concerning failing schools could give Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas substantially more authority at a time when he’s at serious odds with the school board over management. Though it’s still unclear, the law appears to give Vargas the ability to make sweeping decisions to improve failing schools, including […]
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Schools leadership
Rochester school board members will meet this week to elect a leadership team. | Van White, currently vice president of the board, says he wants the presidency. But White may face a challenge from board member Cynthia Elliott, if the rumors are to be trusted. | Malik Evans, the current president, is not seeking the […]
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Silver says hold off on sharing student data
This can’t be an easy time for New York State Education Commissioner John King. The commissioner, who came into office not long ago with a bold reform agenda, is increasingly seeing those plans come under fire. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is the latest to question King. He sent a letter to the state Education Department […]
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Is APPR fair?
The Annual Professional Performance Review for teachers and principals is a key component of education reform. And the state Education Department’s recent release of statewide teacher and principal evaluations is supposed to help answer the question asked by many parents: How effective are the teachers in my child’s school? But the evaluations are controversial. In […]
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King is optimistic about Common Core
While there may be some adjustments made to the Common Core curriculum and the Annual Professional Performance Review for public school teachers and principals, State Education Commissioner John King said that he has no plans to slow down or delay the implementation of either. Common Core has introduced higher standards for students in 45 states […]
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Albany is going to fix urban schools
First it was mayoral control; now we may be looking at Albany control of some urban school districts. The very idea is almost laughable. We’re talking about Albany, New York, frequently described as the most dysfunctional state government in the country. But New York Education Commissioner John King is pushing for a bill that would […]
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Commissioner King comes down on Buffalo schools
Nearly a year ago, Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas ended his comments in a public meeting with an ominous statement. “We’re running out of time,” he said, referring to the need to improve student performance. In an interview earlier today, Vargas said that all the community has to do is look west at the Buffalo […]
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Surveys frustrate teachers
Students, teachers, principals, and parents in the Rochester school district recently participated in comprehensive districtwide surveys. The questions were tailored to each group’s relationship to the district. For example, students were asked about their teachers’ instruction, responsiveness, and classroom demeanor. | The New York State Education Department required the surveys as part of the teacher […]
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Teacher evals revamped
The Rochester school district’s first attempt at a teacher evaluation plan for the 2012 to 2013 school year was rejected by the State Education Department. Revisions have been resubmitted, and Rochester Teachers Association President Adam Urbanski says he’s confident that this version will be approved. | The SED wanted to see greater clarification of the […]
