District Administration - March 2011 - (Page 10)

Letters A Safety-Goggle Goof Up? I always look forward to reading District Administration. It normally is enlightening and right on the money. As a district safety-compliance oﬃcer and chief science safety-compliance consultant for professional science associations, I especially enjoy rictAdministration articles on science Dist and technology. However, the main photo in the valuedded? lue in Value-A added feature What’s the Va story (“What’s the Value in Value-Added?” January 2011) has issues relative to legal safety standards and professional best practices. ree students are shown wearing eye protection. Two of the goggles do not meet standards. ey are directly vented, in contrast to the appropriate set being worn by the student on the far right. e student in the middle has the vents open. And the teacher and other two students should not be working in the area where the other three students are dealing with liquids requiring eye protection. It may not seem like a big thing, but MANAGEMEN DISTRICT FOR SCHOOL SOLUTIONS T liability-wise, it puts teachers charged with “duty of care” in the realm of potential negligence. Your publication helps set various professional best practices in school districts. It needs to reﬂect those practices, as well as legal standards. Kenneth R. Roy, director of environmental health and safety, Glastonbury (Conn.) Public Schools who serve them. I think your article would be of interest to the parents and educators we serve. Debbie Einhorn, executive director, Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center A D 71 the Times? g Up with Ed Keepin Is Health Mohsin Dada Makes the Case for More Moola I wanted to express my thanks for the well-written proﬁle of Mohsin Dada (“Saving a District Millions through Strategic Financial Planning,” November/December 2010). It almost reads like ﬁction. Is there really a district enjoying such ﬁnancial success in these challenging times? Dada’s assertion that school administrators need to add value to their districts reads like a challenge itself. Our industry is in distress and in need of implementation strategies from valueadded professionals such as Dada. How well school district administrators can eﬀect positive change for the big picture (at any and all levels of government) will depend on the content of the message and whether or not people will listen, as they do in Chicago when Mohsin makes a recommendation. David A. Verdolino, CPA, assistant superintendent of ﬁnance, Medway (Mass.) Public Schools The battle to accurately mea sure teacher effectiveness 48 Editor’s note: We informed the district of this potential issue and were told it was a posed experiment for the photo. District oﬃcials are aware of the safety concerns. Miami Advice Innovative Superintendent Alber to Carvalho on improving the fourth-largest district 20 The Politicization of Bullying Managing a politically 54 charged issue of All The Biggest Shift learn to Kids using the Web 28 independently Solutions Guide to A/V 31 A Helpful Story for Special Education I hope to be able to reprint a news story that ran in your last issue (“Common Core’s Implications for Special Ed Students,” February 2011) in our quarterly newsletter, Parent Center, which is distributed to parents of students with disabilities and education professionals in Illinois. Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center is a nonproﬁt, federally-funded Parent Training and Information Center providing information and resources to parents who have children receiving special education services and to the educators January 2011 www.Distric n.com tAdministratio AM 12/20/10 9:06:52 1 CVRJan11.indd Letters to the Editor may be sent to jhartnett@promediagroup.com, or mailed to Judy F. Hartnett, District Administration, 488 Main Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851. Selections that are published may be edited for length and clarity, and become the property of D A. 10 March 2011 District Administration http://www.DistrictAdministration.com http://www.mariner-usa.com/SeeChange

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - March 2011

District Administration - March 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Technology Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Books
New Products
Learning Gets Personal
What’s Your Data Integration Strategy?
Global Learning Scales Up
New Approach to Reeling in Tech Funding
Facilities of Environmental Distinction
Professional Opinion
Supervisor's Opinion
Superintendent's Insights

District Administration - March 2011