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New York City Principals Choose School Support Organizations
For the First Time, All Schools Given Power to Choose Services that Best Meet the Needs of Their Students and Educators
Schools Choose from Menu of 14 Organizations
Date: 05/17/2007 Last Modified: 5/17/2007 2:27:17 PM
Press ID: N-49, 2006-2007
New York City principals this week completed selecting the School Support Organizations (SSOs) that they determined will help their students succeed. In past years, schools had little say in the support they received and were obliged to accept services, such as professional development or interventions, that the Department of Education (DOE) offered. The DOE has now given every school the power to choose a support partner that best meets the educational needs of its students. Since January, schools have been learning about the 14 School Support Organizations, comprised of the Empowerment Support Organization, in which principals affiliate into networks and hire their own support teams; four Learning Support Organizations developed by leading DOE educators; and nine Partnership Support Organizations, external, not-for-profit providers with strong records of supporting city schools. Principals submitted final decisions Tuesday.
According to preliminary numbers, which are subject to approval by community superintendents, 35% of principals chose to be supported by the Empowerment Support Organization, 54% elected to receive support from Learning Support Organizations, and 11% chose to affiliate with a Partnership Support Organization. Giving decision-making power to schools, rather than asking them to accept undifferentiated supports from the DOE, is a critical element in the Department’s Children First school reforms, under which schools are empowered with resources and the ability to use them as they choose and are then held accountable for ensuring that all students make academic progress.
“Principals, and the teachers and parents in their school communities, know their students, their teachers, their strengths, and their weaknesses best,” Chancellor Klein said. “We have created a competitive market for educational supports and services, and the people closest to the students are now the people making the key decisions.”
Based on preliminary tallies, three of the nine Partnership Support Organizations did not attract enough demand from schools to remain eligible providers of support. The remaining 11 SSOs were selected as follows:
% of schools citywide*
School Support Organization
35%
Empowerment Support Organization ESO
27%
Integrated Curriculum and Instruction LSO
12%
Community LSO
8%
Leadership LSO
7%
Knowledge Network LSO
5%
New Visions for Public Schools PSO
4%
CEI-PEA PSO
1%
Replications PSO
1%
CUNY PSO
1%
Fordham PSO
1%
Academy for Educational Development PSO
* percentages don’t add up to 100% due to rounding. Additionally, ten schools have been granted extensions.
Schools will pay for School Support Organization services with new resources that are being cut from the DOE bureaucracy this year. The Department distributed $166,000, on average, to each school to pay for the new services, which range in price from approximately $29,500 to $67,000. The cost of each SSO depends upon its package of services, which typically include professional development for principals and teachers, curriculum development, staff mentoring, and interventions for struggling students. Of the total $230 million that the DOE distributed to schools to pay for support services, schools will spend about $56 million, according to preliminary estimates. This leaves about $174 million for schools to spend on additional teachers, instructional materials, and services of their choosing.
SSOs will not manage or supervise schools, nor will they have the power to hire or fire principals. Those critical functions remain the responsibilities of Community Superintendents and High School Superintendents. The Chancellor will maintain responsibility for ensuring that all schools and support organizations are meeting the high standards set by the department. The DOE will continue to centrally provide vital, system-wide services, including among others academic standard-setting, student placement, school funding, and teacher recruitment. Newly-created Integrated Service Centers in each borough will offer schools assistance with mandated and operational services related to human resources, payroll, budget and procurement, transportation, food services, facilities and extended use, grant management, technology, health and safety, student suspensions, youth development, and some elements of special education.
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Contact: David Cantor / Melody Meyer (212) 374-5141
5 years ago
