ACCOUNTABILITY AND ACHIEVEMENT RESOURCES

OFFICE OF SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

POLICY MANAGER, PROGRESS REPORTS

Position Summary:  The New York City school system is the largest in the country, composed of approximately 1.1 million students and 90,000 teachers in over 1,600 schools. In January 2003, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel I. Klein launched Children First: A New Agenda for Public Schools in New York City, a multi-year reform effort aimed at significantly improving student achievement through effective teaching and learning.

Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein have made accountability an essential element of New York City’s education reform effort. With an investment of over $130 million from national and local foundations, New York City has embarked upon an ambitious education reform initiative that is unprecedented in urban education.

The Policy Manager will support the Progress Report Team in evaluating the performance of all schools in the City.  This person will work on challenging and important projects that require strong organizational, communication, and analytical skills.

Reports to: Executive Director, School Performance

Direct Reports:  Senior Analyst, Progress Reports

Key Relationships:  Works closely with the Children’s First Intensive team, ARIS team, and other members of the School Performance team.

Responsibilities

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  Manage, maintain, and evaluate the effectiveness of the business policies underlying the New York City Progress Report.
  
  
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  Work collaboratively with the School Performance Team and other NYC DOE divisions and schools to solicit feedback and get buy-in to any proposed changes to the business policies.
  
  
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  Design and perform data analysis relating to the Progress Report and other accountability reports, e.g., School Survey. Assesses the effectiveness of each measure on the Progress Report, analyzing trends in Progress Report data from year to year, and correlating Progress Report outcomes with other school accountability data.
  
  
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  Apply structured, thoughtful analytical approaches to the examination and solution of a wide variety of policy issues. This includes: how to evaluate student progress for hold-overs; how to baseline a student’s proficiency in the absence of proficiency data; how to ensure that progress is being measured accurately for all students, e.g., ELLs, Special Education, and use ingenuity in selecting and evaluating approaches to unforeseen problems.
  
  
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  Provide guidance to facilitate the development of new Progress Reports for schools that have not received one in the past, such as those focused on special education students and early childhood education.
  
  
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  Demonstrate and apply a thorough understanding of statistical and analytical methodology and protocols.  Perform correlation, regression, and factor analysis to test the reliability and validity of the Progress Report results.  Use cross-tabs and pivot tables to summarize key Progress Report results.

Qualification Requirements:

Minimum:

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   A master’s degree from an accredited college and three (3) years of full-time progressively responsible professional experience in education administration in one or more education-related areas, at least eighteen (18) months of which must have been in a managerial capacity; or
   
   
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   Graduation from an accredited college with a baccalaureate degree and four (4) years of full-time progressively responsible professional experience, as described in (1); or
   
   
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   A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience which is equivalent to (1) above including teaching experience towards meeting the general experience in (1) above; however, all candidates must have the eighteen (18) months of managerial experience.

Preferred:

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  Extensive data analysis experience, including Microsoft Excel and Access and knowledge of statistical software packages such as SAS, S-Plus, etc.
  
  
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  Ability to conduct systematic analysis and develop solutions to complex data analysis problems.
  
  
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  Ability to trouble-shoot, problem-solve, and anticipate issues around accountability measures.
  
  
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  Ability to manipulate, organize, and analyze large datasets.
  
  
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  Ability to develop and follow research methodology and protocol.
  
  
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  Ability to develop reports and charts based on research.
  
  
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  Ability to use independent judgment to adapt and modify research concepts and approaches to specific projects.
  
  
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  Attentive to detail, extremely well-organized and able to meet frequent and changing deadlines.
  
  
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  MA/PhD in statistics or related discipline.
  
  
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  Experience or working knowledge of the public sector and/or demonstrated interest in public education.

Salary: $81,000 +

(Internal candidates who are selected for this position and who currently hold comparable or less senior positions within the DOE will not make less than their current salary.)

Apply online at http://schools.nyc.gov/careers

Please submit a resume and a cover letter with your application. 

Applications will be accepted through January 2, 2010.

NOTE: The filling of all positions is subject to budget availability.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

It is the policy of the Department of Education of the City of New York to provide educational and employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, age, marital status, partnership status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex), military status, prior record of arrest or conviction (except as permitted by law), predisposing genetic characteristics, or status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual offenses and stalking, and to maintain an environment free of harassment on any of the above-noted grounds, including sexual harassment or retaliation.  Inquiries regarding compliance with this equal opportunity policy may be directed to: Office of Equal Opportunity, 65 Court Street, Room 923, Brooklyn, New York 11201, or visit the OEO website at http://schools.nyc.gov/OEO