The Notebook

Stories tagged: leadership

More movement in Ackerman's cabinet

Submitted by Erika Owens on Fri, 06/25/2010 - 14:28 | Permalink

The District just published a press release detailing more movement in top District administration. The changes are effective as of July 1.

According to the press release:

Diane Castelbuono will return to the District as Associate Superintendent of Strategic Programs, including charter, multiple pathways, turnaround, and Renaissance Schools.
Tomás Hanna, who is now Chief of Staff, will be Associate Superintendent of Academics, including oversight of Academic and Accountability Office, Parent and Community Engagement, Student Support Service, and Truancy.
David Weiner, who is currently Chief Accountability Officer, will be Chief Academic & Accountability Officer.
Lucy Feria, who is currently Superintendent of the North Region, will be Deputy Chief of Multilingual Curriculum and Programs.
Karen Kolsky, who is currently Assistant Superintendent of the Northeast Region, will be Deputy Chief of Professional Development.

Suffering from search engine overload

Submitted by Frank Murphy on Fri, 06/18/2010 - 14:47 | Permalink

Recently I have been suffering from search engine overload. This is an ailment that can cause trance-like behavior on the part of the sufferer. Another common symptom associated with this syndrome is the spouting off of seemingly endless facts about the particular subject the victim has been investigating through online search engines.

It is an exhausting ailment. In my case I contracted this condition as a result of my efforts to become better acquainted with the providers who have been identified as being eligible to manage Renaissance Schools in the School District of Philadelphia.

Effort starting to raise $100 million for public, charter, parochial schools

Submitted by Dale Mezzacappa on Fri, 06/18/2010 - 00:01 | Permalink

A big, new player has emerged in the city's education world. It's called The Philadelphia School Project and it plans to raise $100 million in philanthropic money with the goal of supporting high-quality schools whether they be district-run, charter, or parochial.

Marilyn Perez named Edison principal

Submitted by Paul Socolar on Wed, 06/16/2010 - 14:41 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

In an unusual move, the School District has assigned one of its top, veteran administrators, Marilyn Perez, to serve as principal of Edison High School next fall. Perez is currently regional superintendent for the Central Region.

Nunery: second in charge

Submitted by Paul Socolar on Thu, 06/10/2010 - 00:54 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

In an evening press briefing, Superintendent Arlene Ackerman clarified that Leroy Nunery, the District's new deputy superintendent named Wednesday afternoon, is the District's "second person in charge" but added that "we haven't decided what the structure is going to look like yet."

Anticipated shakeup turns out to be a new deputy

Submitted by Paul Socolar on Wed, 06/09/2010 - 14:33 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

Joined by Mayor Nutter at a meeting of the School Reform Commmision, Superintendent Arlene Ackerman announced a "structural change" at the District: Leroy Nunery was promoted to a new high-level post as deputy superintendent for the School District of Philadelphia.

Nunery has been serving as chief of institutional advancement and strategic partnerships since April at an annual salary of $180,000. He was one of three finalists in the CEO search that led to the hiring of Ackerman two years ago.

West teachers must decide Friday; SAC chair calls probe a 'travesty'

Submitted by Benjamin Herold on Fri, 06/04/2010 - 01:14 | Permalink

Following the surprise announcement that West Philadelphia High School would not become a Renaissance School next year after all, School District officials told West’s 62 teachers Thursday that they had 24 hours to decide whether to stay or go.

'If I were a rich man'

Submitted by Frank Murphy on Wed, 06/02/2010 - 11:58 | Permalink

Lately when I think of the voucher or charter school movement, I hear Tevye from The Fiddler on the Roof singing, “If I Were a Rich Man.” This song became stuck in my head after reading in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the astronomical amounts of money donated to the gubernatorial campaign of State Senator Anthony Williams, primarily by three Bala Cynwyd businessmen.

Former SRC commissioner to head academics in Milwaukee

Submitted by Helen Gym on Tue, 06/01/2010 - 12:12 | Permalink

Heidi Ramirez, the former School Reform Commissioner who was highly regarded for her commitment to accountability and public engagement during her tenure, is leaving Philadelphia to serve as Chief Academic Officer for the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Leadership vacuum

Posted in Summer 2010 Edition | Permalink

We’re in the dark as much as everyone else about the 21 benchmarks on which Superintendent Arlene Ackerman was recently evaluated by her bosses at the School Reform Commission and awarded a $65,000 performance bonus. The continued unwillingness of Ackerman and the SRC to disclose the criteria on which she was rated is baffling. The public has a right to know what the expectations of the city’s educational leader are, even if the details of her rating are private.