Deputy Commissioner of Education Speaks at Mid-Hudson Principals’ Center Summer Leadership Institute

New York State Senior Deputy Commissioner of Education Johanna Duncan-Poitier was the opening speaker at the Mid-Hudson Principals’ Center’s 20th annual Summer Leadership Institute held at SUNY New Paltz on July 9. The veteran educator was there to explain the goals and benefits of the State’s new P-16 approach to education reform to the more than 340 participants immersed in the two-day professional development event.

“We’re going to do business in a different way,” she told the auditorium full of teachers, principals, and superintendents from Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester Counties. She reviewed the plan’s priorities, which included organizational reform, more support for teachers and school leaders, and reviewing and updating Learning Standards. She talked about the importance of collaboration. “You are our eyes and ears to what happens in the classroom. It is essential that we work together. The power of the collective cannot be underestimated.”

The P-16 structure was established within the State Education Department to raise achievement from pre-kindergarten through college. The goals of the plan are twofold: (1) to close the great divide in achievement that presently exists along the lines of income, race, ethnicity, language, and disability and (2) to keep up with growing demands for even more knowledge and skill as competition increases in a rapidly changing global technology economy.

Duncan-Poitier has been recognized across the nation for providing results-driven educational leadership, steering organizational change, and directing innovative public programs. All of that, coupled with more than 20 years of experience in the State Education Department, brings high hopes to educators.

“I can sum her up in three words,” said Martin Ruglis, district superintendent of Ulster County BOCES, as he introduced Duncan-Poitier. “She gets it.”

Indeed, much of what Duncan-Poitier said hit home with educators: “We shouldn’t be telling you how to teach. You should be spending more time in the classroom and not doing paperwork.”

“We really appreciate her experience and candor,” Ruglis added. “We’re very hopeful, with her at the helm, that we will see positive change in the system.”

The 2008 Summer Leadership Institute was co-sponsored by the Mid-Hudson Principals’ Center and the New York State Association of Women Administrators. It is one of many professional development opportunities provided by the Mid-Hudson Principals’ Center. For information on becoming a member district or for program information, please contact Jane Bullowa at 845-255-1402, ext. 1278 or Dr. Laurie Cassel at 845-255-1400, ext. 1218.