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Mariner and Microsoft Continue Interactive Webseries That Provides K-12 Educators with Insight into Data-Driven Initiatives

April 8, 2010 – Charlotte, NC – Mariner and Microsoft invite school district and Department of Education leaders to participate in the third session in its four-part webseries on Tuesday, April 20th at 11a.m. The series, entitled “Managing for Performance: From the School to the State House,” highlights education analytics that improve student achievement and are the backbone of data-driven initiatives in K-12 organizations across the country. The fourth session will take place May 18th. The series, which began on January 19th, is available for on-demand reference in archives of past sessions.

This month’s session focuses on the data systems initiative that is helping New Hampshire’s DOE utilize their data to inform education and to improve the education for each and every student. See details below.

Scheduled on noted Tuesdays from 11:00-11:30a.m. (EST), the sessions provide participants with opportunities to interact with school district and Department of Education leaders to learn about strategies to improve student achievement, transparency and accountability. Registration for one or more of the webseries sessions is available at: www.mariner-usa.com/webseries.htm.

“The effective use of data is essential to the success of managing for performance,” said David “Fitz” Fitzgerald, Mariner’s Vice President, Education Group and one of the webseries’ featured speakers. “We’ve learned from our experiences with districts and DOEs, that teachers and principals need easy access to data views and education analytics to drive improvements in instruction and student outcomes.”

“It has never been more important for schools to acquire rich data transparency and education analytics solutions to help drive student achievement, test scores and curriculum needs that will help educators map to state standards and students’ career aspirations,” said Anthony Salcito, vice president of worldwide education at Microsoft Corp. “Having that repository and toolset is going to be the key priority for schools as they strive for innovation and transformation in the classroom.”

Mariner’s Education Group and Microsoft showcased K-12 organizational leaders in a webseries that focused on the District Data Dashboard implemented by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in the spring of 2009. It generated tremendous interest from school district administrators and educational leaders in the United States and around the world. Archives of these sessions are also available for reference.

District and Department of Education leaders of all levels are encouraged to participate in this series to gain insight into the most effective applications of performance management for classrooms, schools, districts and DOEs.

Upcoming web session details:

April 20
Understanding Student Achievement over the Long-term through Student Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDSs)
Irene Koffink, and Michael Schwartz, New Hampshire Department of Education
Ms. Koffink and Mr. Schwartz will discuss the development of the NH Statewide Longitudinal Data System, their intent to put this model into the public domain as well as how their data is being used to inform instruction. The Department’s data warehouse includes extensive student data, including data from multiple assessments that enables schools to create and add their own local assessments. Perhaps most importantly, this data is now being leveraged by educators across the state to better understand the needs of individual students and group of students.

May 18
Managing the Performance: School Improvement Plans
David “Fitz” Fitzgerald, Vice President, Education Group, Mariner
Mr. Fitzgerald will discuss the key drivers for implementing school improvement plans that support student achievement.
To sign up for one or more sessions in this web series please go to: www.mariner-usa.com/webseries.htm
Archived web sessions:

The Strategic Planning Process: How to Get Started
Dr. Gregory Firn, Superintendent, Anson County Schools
Dr. Firn is recognized as a leader in improving education, instituting new ideas for all phases of educational programs from curriculum to sports programs and redistricting.

From Strategy to Students: Realizing the Visions
Jonathan Raymond, Superintendent, Sacramento Unified City School District
Mr. Raymond, advocate and practitioner of data-driven decision making, will draw from input he has received from students, parents, community leaders, teachers and other district employees to discuss his vision and approach for crafting a strategic plan, closing the achievement gap, and accelerating the performance of all students, while managing a budget shortfall.

Please visit www.mariner-usa.com/webseries.htm to view archived sessions.
About Mariner
Mariner, Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner of the Year for 2008 in Performance Management Solutions and TDWI’s Best Practices Award Implementation Partner for 2009, specializes in business intelligence, data warehousing, business scorecards and performance dashboards to help clients improve productivity and decision making in a variety of industries including the education, utility and healthcare sectors. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with specializations in Business Intelligence and Performance Management Solutions, Mariner helps organizations translate strategy into action. Mariner-Realizing Visions with Technology. www.mariner-usa.com.

For additional information:
Contact Sally Phillips, Director of Marketing & Partner Alliances, Mariner
Tel. 704.943.5222
Email sally.phillips@mariner-usa.com

Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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