Category Archives: Policy

Conferences are for growth I (NYSSBA)

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NYS School Board Association conference This post consists of bits of info shared at the annual NYSSBA conference October 14th, 2017. One always learns something new or delves deeper into something already known at a conference. The conferences are for growth. If attending is not possible, one can follow the conference online and read reflections of bloggers. The presenters, educators, administrators, and school board members share their thoughts on issues they are facing at … Continue reading →

School Board Committees—Publicly Accessible for A Reason

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Every year at the beginning of the school, parents and school staff ask themselves how the new year will go. The parents ask where they can help and the administrators ask how to get more parents involved in the life of the schools. Where there is a will there is a way. Both groups can find answers in the form of shared decision-making (also called site-based) and board committees. Although public schools have been … Continue reading →

NYS ESSA Plan comments

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On Saturday, June 10th, I attended a public hearing on the NYS ESSA plan. Next to the last of the 13 hearings scheduled across the state. Each state has to submit to the federal DOE how they envision to meet the federal requirements. The plans have to be submitted by September 18th. The NYSED worked out a 159-page draft. The first draft at this time. I did my part as a parent participating in … Continue reading →

Regents Tests Rule Malverne School District Evaluations in 2016-17

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As it is almost a routine, the New York State department of education changed regulations on how it evaluates schools and teachers. For the next 4 years, the results of state standardized assessments administered in grades 3 through 8 will not count toward HEDI, the supposed “measurement of teacher effectiveness.”

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Malverne School District Common Core Initiatives 2015-16

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At the school board meeting in May, the Malverne school district Common Core department summarized the initiatives management and educators conducted during the school year 2015-2016. Ms. Rachel Gross, the cheerperson for Common Core K-6, compiled the initiatives in a 9-slide presentation. “She brought things down to them [students]. It is now wonderful and the elementary schools have just flourished for it,” introduced the presenter and the initiatives Mrs. Ricca, the assistant superintendent for … Continue reading →

USED proposed regulations your child, school are facing

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The summer has just started. Few parents are thinking about the school at this moment, but bureaucrats do. They are paid for doing so. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into the law last December, replacing the No Child Left Behind (NLCB). The new law assigns more responsibilities to individual states, shifting more power to them, and away from the federal department of education (USED). In May, the USED chief, John King, … Continue reading →

Candidate Debates—Challenge for Stakeholders

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Every year in May, school district stakeholders in New York elect their representatives to the local school boards. There are around 120 school districts in Long Island alone. The school boards consist of 5 to 9 school district residents who earn living in their line of profession and, in addition, they volunteer their free time on behalf of the students and community. The school boards govern the school district. In many communities, the school … Continue reading →

Safety, Local STAR, APPR Discussed at PTA meeting

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The parents of the M.W. Downing school met with the building principal, Mrs. McDaid, on Tuesday, April 5th, but without a teacher representation. They dedicated about an hour to listen to the safety and security measures at the school. The review of safety guidelines was triggered by a recent post and comments on a FB page. The principal explained the situation in question and used the meeting to review other, related regulations, e.g. morning … Continue reading →

New York’s Educational Agenda, Part 1

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The SOS Agenda Governor Cuomo barely finished his State of the State speech on January 8th when the first reactions to his speech started appearing in social media. The following day, there were two petitions drafted regarding the merit pay and $20,000 bonuses for teachers the governor mentioned.

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