Measuring and Creating Excellence in Schools

Thursday, May 6, 2010
8 a.m.–2 p.m.

Measuring performance — of students, teachers, schools, and entire school systems — has emerged as a critical tool for innovative educational institutions, and a point of emphasis for the current administration in Washington. Yet evaluation is difficult and also very costly, so it’s critically important to do it right—picking the right outcomes, measuring them properly, and using the results to improve the quality of education.

In this half-day meeting, we brought together educational leaders from New York City’s public, private, and nonprofit sectors for an exchange of ideas on how to apply evaluation effectively. View photos from the event.
Executive directors who would like to attend future Social Enterprise Leadership Forums can contact [email protected].

Agenda

8:00–8:25 a.m.

Breakfast and Registration

 
8:25–8:30 a.m.

Welcome and Introductions

  • Ray Fisman (watch the recording)
    Lambert Family Professor of Social Enterprise; and
    Director, Social Enterprise Program
    Columbia Business School
8:30–9:15 a.m.

Keynote Presentation: Accountability: What's It Really All About?

9:15–10:15 a.m.

Keynote Presentation: What Makes Charter Schools Effective?

10:15–10:30 a.m.

Coffee Break

 
10:30–11:30 a.m.

Using Teacher Evaluation to Improve School Performance

  • Jonah Rockoff
    Sidney Taurel Associate Professor of Business
    Columbia Business School
  • Douglas Staiger (view presentation​​​​​​)
    John French Professor in Economics
    Dartmouth College

(watch the recording)

11:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m.

Scaling Up: Building Successful Schools in New York City and New York State

  • John Kin
    Senior Deputy Commissioner for P-12 Education
    New York State Department of Education
  • James Liebman (view presentation​​​​​​)
    Simon H. Rifkind Professor of Law
    Columbia Law School; and former Chief Accountability Officer
    New York City Department of Education

(watch the recording)

12:45–1:00 p.m. 

Closing Remarks and Wrap-up of Discussion

1:00–2:00 p.m.

Lunch

 

Research Report

Download the research report here.