Carla Santorno Leaving Seattle

What do others think about Carla Santorno leaving Seattle?

Does this open the doors for a different approach to math education?

With a superintendent with as strong a personality as Goodloe-Johnson, what type of Chief Academic Officer would be a good match?

Comments

Teachermom said…
Since MGJ has a background in education (curriculum?), maybe a "vice-superintendent" would be a more appropriate position for her replacement.

I find Carla Santorno's demeanor and speaking style to be quite refreshing (respectful, graceful, intelligent, jovial) for SPS leadership, so I will definitely miss that. I don't feel that I know her well enough to comment further.

I am not crazy about EDM, but I am not a math expert, so I can't deliver an extremely informed argument against that choice (but I love Singapore Math!).

More turnover upsets me in general. SPS has enough of a problem with institutional memory....
4/11/09, 8:01 PM
Jet City mom said…
I believe that the role of academic officer originated with Stanford , as he did not have an background in education. It continued through Olchefske and Manhas because -ditto.

But since MGJ does have a background in education, do we need an academic officer?
4/12/09, 8:51 AM
Anonymous said…
There definitely should be someone to fill the position. It should be someone who has not worked with the superintendent in the past and not a Broad Foundation graduate. It should be someone whose only agenda is to provide the widest range of opportunities for all students to succeed in the Seattle public school system.

There needs to be someone within the administrative staff to provide balance to the superintendent's role and influence.
4/12/09, 4:48 PM
dan dempsey said…
Amen .. not another Broad foundation grad.

Since MG-J is now a Broad Foundation Director .... probably little chance of that happening. Remember the Board hires the Superintendent and the Superintendent hires everyone else.
4/12/09, 5:32 PM
Sahila said…
Perhaps Dan's comment should read:

"Remember the Broad hires the Superintendent and the Superintendent hires everyone else"!!! Sorry... saw that(bad) pun/anagram months ago and couldnt resist the chance to put it into print!
4/12/09, 8:25 PM
dan dempsey said…
Sahila,

Given the influence of the Broad Foundation and forces in Seattle. The Broad hires may well be closer than the Board hires.

Thanks for more than a linguistic puzzler.

Dan
4/12/09, 10:10 PM
dan dempsey said…
Does this open the doors for a different approach to math education?

Given the preference for philosophical alignment rather than results or rational decision making, who knows?

The SPS administration has certainly resisted the National Math Advisory Panel direction.

I think that Harium and Michael DeBell would certainly choose to drive this truck in a different direction.

Perhaps someday we will witness system improvement through the intelligent application of relevant data. That sure looks like the direction that Steve Sundquist would like to go.

I would like to see someone ask: "How do you know which of these high leverage practices that you are pushing (if any) may result in academic improvement? How do you know it?"

Most of us already know that the "Discovering Series" will be another expensive flop.

Hopefully the board will direct us away from that flop on April 22, 2009.

It is hard for me to see that those committee members realized the necessary functions needed of a math text.

In looking at the last several years.... Clearly these adoption committees need better initial guidance from the school board. Now that Carla Santorno is leaving it seems a bit too late. (perhaps ..Three math adoptions too late)

On the positive side .. that effective new leadership promised in the last school board elections may be emerging and that would be wonderful.
4/13/09, 12:43 AM
Charlie Mas said…
I would like to see the District discontinue the CAO position. Now that we have a Superintendent with an education background we don't need it anymore.
4/13/09, 9:04 AM
seattle citizen said…
Charlie,
While I agree that it's possible for the Superintendent to take over (back) the duties of managing curriculum and instruction, perhaps it's helpful to have someone manage this specifically. I'm thinking of the alt (uh, option) schools and programs: Many have desired someone to be the Alt Director for many years, someone to help facilitate these various and sundry programs that are non-traditional. Perhaps the new CAO could have that role, and be strengthened in it.

On second thought, management-wise, perhaps it would be better to put the CAO duties back on the superintendent, and provide another position, perhaps a stipend or part-time, to direct the non-traditionals...
4/13/09, 9:47 AM
Megan Mc said…
I also think a director of non-traditional programs is a necessary position that could be funded by not renewing the CAO position.

Who knows, maybe the auditors will suggest it.
4/13/09, 11:58 AM
seattle citizen said…
Maybe someone has a link to the job description of the current CAO, and we could have a discussion about how these duties could best be fulfilled?

Also a discussion about the duties of an imagined "Non-Tradtitional" program Director would be in order...and/or a discussion about how non-traditional programs could meet, compare notes, or otherwise network within the district...
4/13/09, 12:35 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday Open Thread

The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested.  It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio.  (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Read more

Breaking It Down: Where the District Might Close Schools

Update 2: an absolutely fabulous interactive map made by parent Beth Day (@thebethocracy on Twitter - she covers Board meetings and is fun to read).   end of update    Update 1: Mea culpa, I did indeed get Decatur and Thornton Creek mixed up. Thanks to all for the correction. end of update   I suspect some who read this post will be irate. Why do this? Because the district seems very hellbent on this effort with no oversight skid marks from the Board.    To clearly state - I do not believe that closing 20 schools is a good idea. I think they hit on 20 because they thought it might bring in the most savings. But the jury is still out on the savings because the district has not shown its work nor its data. I suspect closing schools and THEN leasing/renting them is the big plan but that means the district really has to keep the buildings up.   But this district, with its happy talk about "well-resourced schools" is NOT acknowledging the pain and yes, gr...
Read more

Education News Roundup

From the ever-amusing Washington Policy Center : Vouchers are Pell Grants for students under 18.  Vouchers are no different than Pell Grants or GI benefits, except the money goes to the families of students younger than age 18.  Except they are. Pell Grants were created to help needy students and that's not really the goal of the voucher program.  The Pell grant website does have a couple of great studies on why low-income students drop out before finishing their higher ed and what makes a difference.
Read more