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Public Schools Will Soon Be Able To Choose Best Suited Support Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein this week announced the School Support Organization options available to New York City public schools beginning in the 2007-08 school year. For the first time, all schools will have the power to choose the specific support model that best meets the unique needs of their staff and students. This new decision-making power is a key element of the Department of Education's Children First school reforms, through which the department is empowering all schools and holding them accountable for ensuring that all students make academic progress. Principals have been considering some School Support Organization (SSO) options for more than two months. This week, principals, teachers, and parents, weighed all SSO options. All schools must select a SSO by May 15. Principals will learn more about the options at a principal symposium next Monday. Principals may bring parents and other members of their school communities to a series of borough fairs in the coming weeks. "We are transforming a school system based on compliance and top-down decision-making to one that empowers principals to make key decisions about what's best for students and their school communities," Klein said. "We are offering schools an array of options. Principals should learn about their choices, meet the SSO leaders, and talk with parents, teachers, and other members of their school communities about the best choice for their schools and students," he added. Schools will choose among: an Empowerment Support Organization ; four Learning Support Organizations designed by leading Department of Education (DOE) educators; and nine Partnership Support Organizations , external non-profit providers with strong records of successfully supporting schools. SSOs will provide differentiated services including professional development for teachers, curriculum development, mentoring, and interventions for struggling students and teachers. Schools will purchase these services with additional resources they receive this year as a result of reductions in DOE administrative offices. Schools will receive an average of $170,000 in additional resources that they will use to purchase SSO services, as well as other goods, services, and staff. School leaders will learn more about each of the SSO options at an April 23 symposium at the Grand Hyatt in Mnahattan. Educators and parents can learn about the options at a series of fairs in each of the five boroughs. Before choosing a SSO, principals should host conversations with staff, parents, and other community members to talk about the options and their schools' particular needs. Principals are also required to engage in meaningful and informed consultation with their School Leadership Teams before selecting an SSO. Principals must make their selections by May 15. These selections will be subject to approval by the Community District Superintendent or High School Superintendent. School Support Organizations will not manage or supervise schools. They will not have the power to hire or fire principals. This power will continue to rest with Community Superintendents and High School Superintendents. The Community Superintendents and High School Superintendents will perform all of their statutory duties, supervise schools, and will work to ensure that schools meet accountability targets. The Chancellor will maintain responsibility for ensuring that all schools and support organizations are meeting the high standards that the department sets, and that all relevant laws, regulations, and requirements are met. SSOs will focus on helping schools ensure that their students succeed. The DOE will continue to provide vital, system-wide services, including academic standard-setting, student placement, school funding, and teacher recruitment.
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