Good Grades! Using Database Technology to

Boost School Performance

Anthony N. Dragona, RSBASchool Business Administrator

~Grace Poli

Media SpecialistUnion City Board of Education

Union City, New Jersey

Snapshot of Union City

Visit iTunes Store to view video about the demographics of Union City

1.Open iTunes Store

2. Click on iTunes U

3. Scroll to the bottom and select K-12

4. Click on New Jersey Union City School District

5. Select “ABOUT UNION CITY” and download free podcast about Union City demographics

Fiscal Planning and Budget Process

13 School Based Budgets

36 Child Care Provider Budgets

18 Central Office Departmental Budgets

67 Individual Budgets

Deadlines initially appear unreasonable or impossible

September to December - Schools and Providers

November to February -Central Office Departments

February to March - District Budget Submission

No Child Left Behind

Making A Y PData collection, analysis and reporting are critical components of No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

School districts must collect more data, in more detail and disaggregate them

State-level systems and support are being developed for collecting and integrating student assessment data with demographic information

2007 NJ Ask 4 - Union City Percent by Group60% of students tested were continuously enrolled in district for 3 years

2005-2007 NJ Ask 4 - Percent by Group

2007 GEPA Union City Percent by Group64% of students tested were continuously enrolled in district for 3 years

2005-2007 NJ GEPA - Percent by Group

Provide every child with an opportunity to learn in a safe environment, using higher order thinking skills and differentiated instruction strategies

Restructuring of educational delivery through

• Clear and Constant Communication

Team Building and Collaboration through

• Professional Development

District Philosophy

Add efficiency to workflow - ability to route and track tasks

Response to mandates

Implement School Reform Strategies

Empower schools through site-based budgets

Provide differentiated instruction

Meaningful faculty collaborative planning

Challenges

Members of Strategic Planning Team• Fiscal Planning and Program

Review Task Force

In a fiscally conservative environment it requires collaboration and a sense of unity of purpose

Databases store, sort, report and deliver data for use in School Based decisions

Collaboration

Wealth of data but little actual knowledge of what the data means

Scattered and antiquated technology infrastructure – separate legacy systems– impossible to link

Data accessible only through gatekeeper – data analysts

Need dynamic or live data

Data Reality

No small mission - Strategic planning task force

Clear and constant communication

Show the big picture

Convince the non believers - Evangelize your dreams

Recruit support and feedback - - Act on suggestions

Develop a Savvy Technology Team “That Walks the Talk”

Technology Matters

Data Information=Technology Technology ToolsTools

Technology Technology ToolsTools

Perceived Benefits of Technology Helps provide timely data for decisions

Helps school support staff do their jobs more efficiently

Increases administrator productivity

Helps educators communicate with parents & community

Motivates students

The goal is for teachers to understand that

through emerging technology trends, such as

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Digital Storytelling,

students become active participants in real life

learning

Schools that use emerging technologies help drive the restructuring of education that result in student-centered learning

21st Century LearningTechnology Trends

Technology Tools

WikisBlogs

Google Doc

NetworkServers

Databases

iPodsDigital Storytelling

iMoviesPodcast

Report WriterFileMaker

Data Analysis

21st CenturyEducation & Skills

Apple Distinguished Educator 2007

Grace PoliMedia Specialist

José Martí Middle School

Shift in EducationTeacher-centered Student-centered

Essential tools for 21st Century Skills

Creativity and Innovation

Critical thinking and problem solving

Communicating and collaborating

Productivity and Leadership

Technology, media and telecommunications

Source: www.21stcenturyskills.orgDeveloped by the Partnership for 21st Century skills

Web 2.0 ToolsBlogs - is a website on which individuals post written entries

http://delicious.com/ - “Social bookmarking” is way to obtain your bookmarks from any computer, anytime, anywhere

Wiki - is a webpage that anyone can change and edit

Video Sharing - You Tube, Google Video, and Teacher Tube

Web 2.0 Tools

Mr. Colosi’s

First Graders

D-I-G-I-T-A-L video

Won $15,000 to purchase new technology and all

students received free iPods

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c611904a467b4892806a

Click on the link below to view

video

Teacher Tube Example

Record PowerPoint and Keynote Slides with

AudioProfcast (Mac) Microsoft Windows http://www.profcast.com/public/index.phpProfCast provides a low cost solution for recording and distributing lectures, special events, and presentations as podcasts.

ProfCast offers an integrated workflow that makes creating, recording, and publishing podcasts easy. $59.95 (educational discounts available)

A combination of the words iPod and broadcasting

A way for people to be able to selectively subscribe to audio or video content over the Internet

This content can then be automatically added to iPods

Allows people to listen what they want, when they want, and where they want

What’s the buzz? Podcasting

Podcasthttp://www.apple.com/itunes/store/

The iTunes Store offers over

100,000 audio and video podcast

episodes

1. A basic podcast contains only audio and is the easiest to create and listen to.

2. An enhanced podcast has both audio, images, slides (narrated PowerPoint presentation or Keynote), embedded URLS, and chapters

3. A vodcast (or video podcast) contains video and audio and is most difficult to create

Currently, there are three types of podcast:

Types of Podcast

Really Simple Syndication

http://www.apple.com/startpage/

Format for syndicating content from the Internet

Choose what information to receive

Get new content when it becomes available

Can be used to distribute files

What is RSS?

Want to learn for free?

Learn on the go

Learn from the best

Explore 75,000 educational audio and video files from top universities, museums, PBS station, Liberty Science Center, Smithsonian, and much more

iTunes U

iTunes U

New Jersey Union City School District iTunes U Site:

Writer’s Workshop Icon

• lesson plans • podcast of instructions• student handouts

Visit iTunes U to view teacher

podcast

Exciting new way to generate creative expression

Greatly enhances the learning process

Engages and motivates students to want to learn

Students are better able to visualize a specific topic

Student-created podcasts can be subscribed to and viewed by parents and the community

Podcasts can be viewed on any computer, an iPod or a television

Benefits of Podcasting

Student Podcast

BeforePaper & Pen

Metropolitan MuseumNew York, NY

NowiPod & Voice Recorder

El Museo del BarrioNew York, NY

View video from iTunes U

Student Showcase

Do our instructional practices have a positive

impact on student achievement?

Does our investment in Professional

Development and Special Programs produce

maximum gain in student achievement?

What is the relationship between NCLB

expenditures and student performance?

Strategic questions:

What is the solution?

View FileMaker video in iTunes UNew Jersey Union City School

DistrictMessage from the Board

Fiscal Resources - click on FileMaker

Human Resource Data Warehouse

Fixed Assets - Location, value, status

Early Childhood Survey, a State mandated

Multilingual Web-based form

Speaker Bureau / Workshop Evaluation Tool

Board Meeting Agenda Creator

Online Lesson Plans

FileMaker

With the click of a button a presentation can be viewed or downloaded.

ReportsData Warehouse

Reporting and Analysis Services

Turning data into useful information

TrainingLearning how to use data to

make informed decisions.

State and Federal Reporting

Meeting reporting compliance

DisseminationSharing data with the

community (ie: report cards)

School Interoperability Framework & IMS

Components of a Data Based Decision Making System

SIS

Finance

Assessment

Instruction

Applications

Personalized Instruction

Source: US Department of Education, 2003.

It takes time

It has to start at the top with

committed leadership

Progress has to be measurable

Business models are starting points

Community outreach is essential

Lessons Learned

Majority of districts are making progress

in collection of data and most are

working towards analysis and reporting

Challenging task remains providing

teachers with proven strategies for

targeted interventions in the classroom

Lessons Learned

21st Century Connections

1.Have a vision2.Make a plan3.Create a scheme of

work4.Document5.Build a team6.Balance a budget7.Learn from others8.Train teachers9.Delegate10.Tell the world

• Sustained academic achievement has become institutionalized

• “Success is a norm not an exception”• Union City students achieve the highest test scores among all • urban school districts in New Jersey on standardized assessments

7 Benchmark Schools - NJ Business Coalition

4 Best Practice Schools - NJ Dept. of Education

1 Blue Ribbon School - US Dept. of Education

1 Governor’s School of Excellence Award

1 Title I Distinguished School - US Dept. of Education

2 Title I Distinguished Educators

New Jersey Technology Teacher of the Year - NJAET

Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting - ASBO Intl. (5 years)

Accolades and Success

For additional information:http://www.union-city.k12.nj.us

Anthony N. Dragona, School Business Administrator adragona@union-city.k12.nj.us

Grace Poli, Media Specialistgpoli@union-city.k12.nj.us

www.teachwithgrace.com

Union City Board of EducationJeanette Pena, President

Alicia Morejon, Vice PresidentJohnny Garces, TrusteeCarlos Vallejo, TrusteePablo Cabrera, Trustee

José Mejia, TrusteeKennedy Ng, Trustee

Anthony N. Dragona, Interim Board Secretary

Stanley M. Sanger, Superintendent of Schools

Sylvia Abbato, Asst. Superintendent of SchoolsGerald Caputo, Asst. Superintendent of SchoolsRobert Fazio, Asst. Superintendent of Schools

Anthony N. Dragona, School Business Administrator