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Deborah's blog: Making School Resources Matter

By Deborah Cunningham posted 07-01-2015 12:54

  

Making Resources Matter

NYSASBO Research Director, Deborah Cunningham, participated as a member of an Education Resource Strategies Steering Committee convened by the New York State Education Department.  This Race-to-the-Top funded project concluded June 29, 2015.

Researchers from an organization called Education Resource Strategies worked with eight school districts to examine their resources and look for opportunities to reallocate them in ways that would improve student achievement.  Resources were considered broadly as people, time and money.  Strategies included:

  • Providing differentiated learning and small group instruction through integration of technology into the classroom and strategic staffing;
  • Providing collaborative planning time for shared student teams;
  • Providing education on new school design to the board of education, faculty, community and parents;
  • Increasing expert, data-driven, job-embedded support of teachers to improve student outcomes; and
  • Finding efficiencies in a variety of areas including pupil transportation and school building maintenance to reallocate resources for improved student learning.

NYSASBO is seeking to feature the critical role the school business official plays in strategic endeavors involving school finance and learning opportunities for students in a variety of ways:

  • Conversations with superintendents, school boards and business officials on Saratoga’s School Finance Committee to strategically align resources to better achieve the school district’s mission of improved learning for all students;
  • The use of Forecast5 data analytics to reallocate resources for improved instruction using a variety of state data on finances, student achievement and student characteristics;
  • An article by noted economist Eric Hanushek from Stanford University on the Challenge of Effectiveness in the summer issue of the NYSASBO Reporter emphasizing the importance of how resources are used; and
  • Planning is underway for a fall 2015 school finance symposium on Making School Resources Matter to more fully explore the role of the business official in strategic planning for improved student learning.

 NYSASBO is collecting examples of school districts engaging in strategic planning that include the business official as a strategic leader.  If you have examples to share, please send them to dcunningham@nysasbo.org.

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