In my last post, we discussed the best way to process and deliver reports to stakeholders. So now that that you have launched the portal and users are happily using it, the work doesn’t stop there. Almost immediately, you need to start gathering feedback from users about how they are
As we begin the second half of our series on the 10 best practices for information management, reporting and analytics let’s review what we have learned so far. We now understand the importance of securing executive sponsorship, identifying and involving stakeholders early and assessing their unique needs, identifying and integrating
With the rapid changes in our education systems regarding new standards, assessments, accountability and evaluation, teachers are rightfully feeling the pressure of being underprepared. The majority of teachers were not trained or certified with these rigorous systems in place. Recognizing that higher education institutions need to play an active role
We are half way through my blog series counting to 10 best practices for information management, reporting and analytics. To recap, we have learned the importance of: Securing executive sponsorship. Identifying and involving stakeholders early and assessing their unique needs. Identifying and integrating data sources. Managing user expectations proactively. This
I recently gave a talk to a group of engineering students at Duke University, located just down the road from our headquarters in North Carolina. A couple of days later, one of the students sent me an email asking a very good question: which skills should I build up to
So far in our journey of the best practices for information management, reporting and analytics, we have learned about the importance of securing executive sponsorship, having a solid understanding of stakeholders needs and integrating all the data needed to make this happen. Now that stakeholders realize that you know their
Data is everywhere,and getting to and managing that information is vital for accurate reporting, analysis and proactive decision making. This brings us to Best Practice # 3: Identify and Integrate Authoritative, Trusted Data Sources. As you might remember, these tips all come from my interviews with SAS education customers. From Best
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I am sharing best practices that I learned from talking to education customers about successful implement ions of information management, reporting and analytics at their K-12 school district or higher education institutions. In that first post, we learned about the importance of securing executive
A 23-year Harvard and Columbia University study was recently published shedding new light on the long-term impacts of teachers with both high and low value-added estimates. Researchers Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff tracked math and reading assessment data on over 2.5 million students from 1989-2009. They then incorporated 90% of these
As the Industry Marketing Manager for Education at SAS, I get to talk to lots of education customers about how they’re using SAS software. I hear the many great things they’re doing with SAS and often wonder: What is the secret of their success? So I started working with our
Teachers have more than enough to juggle each day, lacking the time to search for, and find, high-quality curricular resources online. When I would search for lesson plan supplements, I would often get lost in Google's abyss of results, spending far too much precious time sifting through mediocre materials. Until
That there is a growing shortage of analytical talent in most of the economies of the world is clear. In a May 2011 report, the McKinsey Global Institute put some numbers on the demand: “By 2018, the United States alone could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with
A’s in the front, Z’s in the back. How many of us grew up sitting in alphabetical order next to the same few classmates throughout school? While this is a quick and efficient way to learn student names, which is no easy task, it is not the most effective way
Happy New Year, everyone! It’s that wonderful time of the year when people start anew and we all start making promises to ourselves about the things we want to accomplish in the year ahead. If you’re looking for some ways to ramp up your personal and professional expertise this year,
2011 saw incredible change in the states as more than half of the governorships changed hands. As expected, that caused significant turnover at the State CIO level, as well. So while executive and technology policies changed in many ways, the dismal budget situation reinforced the need to allocate tax pay
After my November blog post about achievement gaps between affluent and poor students, Newt Gingrich cast some renewed energy on the topic with his inflammatory comments about poor children at a Dec 1st GOP debate. In case you missed his remarks, here is the quote that sent the media into
December 4 marked the beginning of Computer Science Education Week, and I'd like to take a moment to consider how the business community might support K-12 schools as they respond to this rapidly changing field. Many years ago when computer science courses first appeared in schools, they were considered “extra”
I my past blog posts I have written mostly about K-12 education. This is mainly because I think K-12 is over-ripe for reform in so many ways. School districts could learn a great deal from other industries and higher education in terms of data usage, reporting and analysis of students, programs and
I recently attended The Education Trust’s 2011 National Conference on closing gaps and raising achievement for ALL students. This was my first Ed Trust event and I walked away baffled by the data about the inequities in our education system, and the persistent gaps between the affluent and impoverished. First,
SAS CEO Jim Goodnight is passionate about education reform. The fruits of that passion are evident in SAS' philanthropic efforts and in the many public speeches Dr. Goodnight gives on the topic. Earlier this month, we covered his visit to the Kelley School of Business. Last week, he was the
In the last year, SAS CEO Jim Goodnight and a group of R&D, Education, Sales and Marketing executives visited several universities that are in the early stages of adopting analytics within their business programs. To that effort, Goodnight addressed faculty and students at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business on
Halloween is around the corner and children everywhere will wear masks throughout their neighborhoods for a night of trick-or-treating fun and, likely, too much candy. A masking has also occurred in education policy with the No Child Left Behind Act, sans the candy at the end of the night. That
Once you have watched the movie “Waiting for Superman”, you can't help but worry for children in school. It was very eye-opening for me to see what challenges students and parents face to get a quality education. Being the parent of three children and given my role at SAS as a marketer
With an increasing volume of curriculum to cover and no time to spare, teachers often hit the ground running with the full throttle rigor and relevance critical to teaching and learning. However, I argue that the first two R’s are futile if teachers don’t have meaningful relationships with their students.
As schools across the country delve into a new year, I want to bring my readers back to teaching basics with Part 2 of my Three R’s series on Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships. Here's Part 1. As students flood our halls and classrooms, are they eager and excited for the challenging year ahead? Do
In this day and age, you hear a lot in the news about education. You hear about dropout rates, low graduation rates, technology use, 21st century learning, college and workforce readiness, etc. During my many years at SAS working with the education industry, I have heard and witnessed a lot.
Most of us grew up playing some type of sport and dreaming of becoming a collegiate or professional athlete. For me, it was a focus on dance and striving to be a professional ballerina. At some point we realized that in order to make this dream a reality, we’d have
Roughly a year ago, Bruce Friend, Director of SAS Curriculum Pathways, participated on a technology advisory team at a school in Raleigh, North Carolina: a place he described as a "technology-rich environment" that was not being maximized by teachers. During a lunchtime forum, he remembered one student pulling out his
In recent blogs posts, I discussed my tour of Mooresville Graded school district and the video project that we are working on with them. At that time I was only able to share the video interviews of Dr. Mark Edwards, Superintendent and Dr. Scott Smith, CTO from the project. The
Last week, I attended the International Center for Leadership in Education’s Model Schools Conference in Nashville, TN, where I learned about many forward-thinking education initiatives taking place across the country. My colleagues and I also had the privilege of facilitating a SAS(r) EVAAS for K-12 presentation from two principals at
