Blog

History of The SUPES Academy

2011-05-09T04:37:44Z

As a proud sponsor of The SUPES Academy, we believe in the importance of understanding the background that helped SUPES to grow into what it is today. Fourteen years ago, Tim Quinn and Shelley Keith came to an important realization that programs for K12 educational leaders were often not providing people the necessary skill sets to deal with the increasingly complex issues facing Superintendents and Administrators. Tim and Shelley wanted to focus on the challenges of urban education, and after designing a unique curriculum of their own, they founded the Michigan Leadership Institute to train and prepare a new generation of extraordinary leaders. Last year, The SUPES Academy was created to expand Tim and Shelley’s early work in an effort to make the curriculum more accessible to a national audience. Tim and Shelley sit on the National SUPES advisory board, and with their help, SUPES has been able to develop a comprehensive leadership program that addresses the countrywide issues.

By expanding Tim and Shelley’s vision, SUPES is better prepared to formalize a network of leaders who want to positively impact the education system in light of the current education crisis. In the world of education, it is the people that matter, and even the best leaders can be made exceptional with the right training tools. Outstanding district leaders are needed to transform our nation’s school systems to systems of high performance and achievement. Furthermore, we can expect an unprecedented number of superintendents retiring or leaving the profession within the next five years. While this predicament has the potential to impact school systems extremely negatively, it also provides the opportunity for a new generation of reform-minded leaders to emerge in the field of K-2 education. The SUPES Academy program was established to prepare these new leaders, and with SUPES locations across the country, the organization will hopefully garner as much outreach as possible to craft a larger body of education experts. In the coming years, SUPES hopes to offer even more locations to be able to prepare the maximum number of leaders for their roles in education across the country...and Synesi Associates is proud to be a sponsor of this initiative!

For more information about The SUPES Academy, or to apply for one of the 2011 academies, visit their website here!

Star Intern Report

2011-05-06T17:46:59Z

Today we are checking in with intern Scott Zhang about the work he’s been doing for our company recently. Over the past few weeks, Scott has been busy interviewing the board of Synesi Associates, our partner organization, and researching journal articles, school district data, and government sources to present Synesi to prospective school districts. Because Synesi aims to positively impact K-12 institutions in order to improve student achievement, Scott's work has been tremendously beneficial. Scott has also been formally trained on a new project management software and is currently planning and looking forward to developing a project tracking mechanism for some of our previous projects.

We’ve kept Scott busy working for all three of our companies and he’s done great work! If you have any feedback on what else Scott (and our other star interns) should be focusing on, visit us on Facebook and share your thoughts!

Stay tuned for an update from our president – coming soon!

SUPES Academy Locations

2011-05-05T14:00:10Z

We are pleased and excited to release the fall locations of our sister organization, The SUPES Academy. The academy is designed to identify, develop, and support a new generation of outstanding leaders for America's school systems. Program dates remain TBA, but this weekend development seminar will take place this fall in Hartford, CT, Philadelphia, PA, Richmond, VA, and Chicago, IL. For more information, please visit the SUPES Academy website here. You can also like SUPES on Facebook here.

If you or anyone you know is interested in this academy, the application is available on the SUPES website. This is a great development tool if you would like to hone your leadership skills in a powerfully engaging environment!

Chicago Public School Test Score Gains

2010-07-29T16:42:26Z

Chicago Public high school students posted some of their strongest gains in a decade on assessment tests last spring, but reading remains a red flag. After years spent harping on the need to improve reading, Mayor Daley said a drop of just under one percentage point in the reading portion of the Prairie State Achievement Exam "concerns me greatly." That's compared to a 2.9 percentage-point gain in science and 2.5 percentage-point increase in math. READ MORE Follow Synesi on Twitter

Educational Leadership Linked to Student Achievement

2010-07-26T15:53:56Z

A new study has claimed that good school leadership is critical to good education. The report Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning, found that student achievement is higher in schools where principals share leadership with teachers and the community. Another finding was that districts where levels of student learning are high, district leaders are more likely to emphasize goals and initiatives that reach beyond minimum state expectations for student performance. READ MORE Follow Synesi on Twitter

Switching to U.S. School Standards

2010-07-22T16:22:01Z

California typically lands at or near the bottom in virtually every measure of public school performance nationally, but the academic content taught to the state's school children is second to none according to a recent study. Critics are concerned the national standards could dumb down California classrooms, discarding the state's superior academic framework adopted 13 years ago for students from kindergarten through high school. California officials have two weeks to decide whether to adopt the so-called Common Core State Standards prompted by the Obama administration, or keep the current curriculum. READ MORE Follow Synesi on Twitter

Google's Digitial Library

2010-07-16T15:18:41Z

Google Inc. is giving researchers nearly a half-million dollars to test the academic value of its rapidly growing online library. Google is hoping the research will validate its long-held belief that making electronic copies of old books will bring greater enlightenment to the world. The company’s critics, though, have argued that the internet search leader has trampled over copyright laws to build a commanding early lead in digital books so it can boost profits. READ MORE Follow Synesi on Twitter

Duncan: Congress Needs to Act Now on School Funding

2010-07-13T15:18:27Z

DES MOINES, Wash. (AP) - U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is urging Congress to act soon to increase education funding because cash-strapped states can't wait until the fall to determine if they must lay off thousands of teachers. READ MORE Follow Synesi on Twitter

Half-Hour Delay of School Day Helps Students

2010-07-08T15:27:11Z

Most teens that go to high school are dazed in the mornings, but starting classes 30 minutes later has shown that they are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and more apt to learn well. Not only this, they are more likely to be on time, in a better mood, and more alert. Studies have shown that teens are in their deepest sleep around dawn, which is around the time students get up for school. READ MORE Follow Synesi on Twitter

Going for grants: 31 states join to create national academic tests

2010-06-29T15:59:28Z

A group of 31 states has banded together to compete for a federal grant to create a series of new national academic tests to replace the current patchwork system. READ MORE Follow Synesi on Twitter