Highlights of the 2007 Midterm Report
Vision: Working as a community of educators and stakeholders, with support from our broader community, we will ensure that every child educated in our school system graduates on time, prepared for the future.
Expanding Fiscal Accountability
- Hiring of first Chief Business Officer in August (David Neter)
- Internal risk assessment underway as recommended by Summerford and annual audits
- School board established independent audit committee
Developing and Implementing Systems and Structures to Support Schools, Ensure Accountability, and to Engage the Community
- Realigned organizational structure
- Former area "assistant" superintendents now Area Superintendents with accountability and authority for school improvement planning
- 10 percent of former senior leadership positions eliminated
- More coordinated community engagement with parent, teacher, principal, and support staff advisory groups
- Expanded long range planning for growth
- network of support from all departments and divisions for 22 schools transitioning to year-round
- opening of five new year-round elementary schools two months ahead of schedule this year
Retaining, Recruiting, and Training High Quality Employees
- Teacher retention rate for last year at 9.4 percent -- improvement from last year and better than the state average of 12.95 percent
- Area superintendents working with principals to ensure new teachers have adequate mentorship
- Using state Teacher Working Conditions survey data in school improvement planning
- Hired 1,000 teachers new to WCPSS last year
- Fall job fair attended by 800 candidates seeking 50 jobs
- Leadership training ramped up for teachers and assistant principals
- Professional Learning Community training expanding from high schools to middle and elementary schools
Rededicating our Focus on Teaching and Learning
- Average SAT score of 1066 well ahead of state and national averages
- SAT participation rate much higher than national average
- 3,621 students took Advanced Placement tests in 2005-06
- On-time graduation rate of 82 percent is second only to Fairfax Co., Virginia, in large urban school districts
- Changes in end-of-grade math assessments indicate more work needed
- Undertaking a comprehensive independent curriculum management audit
"We have to listen to our children. We have to see clearly the changes in our world. We have to anticipate the challenges our children will face tomorrow, and we have to recognize and address the challenges we face today -- such as growth, poverty, and a great diversity of need among our student population, high-achieving and struggling alike." -- Dr. Del Burns, superintendent, Wake County Public School System