This Audit of Educational Effectiveness for the Fort Worth Independent School District was commissioned by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a Knight-Ridder newspaper, as a means of improving the quality of teaching and learning in the school district.
Since December, SchoolMatch has collected and analyzed Fort Worth Independent School District data, in a similar fashion to that which has assisted several hundred school systems throughout the country. The SchoolMatch site team conducted its on-site visitation of the Fort Worth Independent School District from April 19 through April 23, 1998.
SchoolMatch evaluators commend Fort Worth school personnel for the assistance provided during the audit and the many courtesies extended. In particular, the team is grateful for the outstanding cooperation of Superintendent Dr. Thomas S. Tocco and the extensive work which Mr. Paul Brinson, Director of Research, undertook and completed to supply the team with up-to-date and relevant data and documents upon which this analysis is partially centered. It was a pleasure to work with such courteous and congenial school personnel.
The eight members of the audit team who visited the Fort Worth Independent Schools were especially pleased to have a chance to visit students and teachers in the classroom. The students were vivid reminders of how this study might assist the school district and the community to create enhanced educational opportunities for Fort Worth's students.
In the mid-1980s, Dr. M. Donald Thomas initiated the "Audit of Educational Effectiveness" process using carefully designed levels of effectiveness and the SchoolMatch databases. Dr. Thomas, Superintendent Emeritus of the Salt Lake City Public Schools, has achieved national recognition as a widely respected school administrator, state education reformer, researcher, author and speaker. He was Education Advisor to the governors of states including South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee during their school reform efforts in the 1980's and 1990's. In 1997, he received the Horace Mann League's Outstanding Educator of the Year award. A few years ago, SchoolMatch assumed the responsibility of working directly with school systems to continue this important process.
In initiating the Audit for the Fort Worth Independent School District, SchoolMatch involved eight consultants, its databases and support staff. The on-site consultants include:
Dr. William L. Bainbridge, President and CEO of SchoolMatch, former superintendent of three school districts in Ohio and Virginia, and former Assistant to the Superintendent of Public Instruction was named Educator of the Year by the Ohio PTA. He has served as educational consultant to over 300 corporations and hundreds of school systems. The Fellow of the American College of Forensics Examiners and Diplomate of the National Academy for School Executives earned his Ph.D. at The Ohio State University, and completed post-doctoral studies at Columbia University.
Dr. Alonzo A. Crim, Past-President of the Council of Great City Schools, Professor of Education and Special Assistant to the President of Spellman College, and former Superintendent of Schools in the City of Atlanta (GA) and Compton (CA). He is a member of the board of directors of the Charles Mott Foundation and First Union Bank. He has also served as a district superintendent in the Chicago Public Schools and holds a doctorate from Harvard University.
Jeffrey S. Glaze, SchoolMatch Manager for Consulting Services, has served in marketing and communications for two Fortune 500 corporations. He received his MBA from Capital University (OH) and BS from Ohio University.
Gene T. Harris, former Chief Instructional Program Officer for the State of Ohio Department of Education. She has served as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, as well as Principal in two high schools, in the Columbus (OH) Public Schools. She holds a Master's of Education from The Ohio State University, and is currently an instructor at Ohio University, where she is completing her doctorate.
Dr. Richard P. Koeppe, past-president of the Colorado Association of School Executives, has 22 years experience in superintendency positions including chief executive roles in both Denver (CO) and Cherry Creek (CO) Public Schools. He has also served on the board of the Kent-Denver School, a private college preparatory school. He served as Professor in Educational Administration at the University of Colorado at Denver. The Past President of the Denver (CO) Rotary Club holds his doctorate in testing and guidance from the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Steven M. Sundre, Executive Vice President of SchoolMatch and former Executive Director of the Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration, Washington DC. The former Kellogg Fellow earned his doctorate at The Ohio State University where he received the Thomas Holy Award in educational research.
Dr. Shirli M. Vioni, Interim Dean of the College of Education at Central State University (OH), former superintendent in three school systems in Ohio, Minnesota, and New Jersey; former director of secondary schools for the Cleveland (OH) Public Schools; and former Vice President for Human Resource Development with Honeywell, Inc. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership and business administration at The Ohio State University.
This educational effectiveness audit compares the Fort Worth Independent School District to similar student and staff demographics nationwide. Using a variety of data sources, including SchoolMatch records, data available from the U.S. and Texas departments of education, professional judgment and research techniques (data analysis, interviewing, polling, etc.), auditors examined a wide range of performance indicators in the Fort Worth Independent School District. These indicators range from test scores to student and staff attendance to public support for the school system (without which no school system can succeed). In each case, the results have been compared against those of the best of similar student and staff demographic populations nationwide.
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