KENT ISD NAMED 2008 EDUCATION EXCELLENCE

AWARD WINNER

GRAND RAPIDS – The Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) has named Kent ISD one of its three Education Excellence Award winners.  This award recognizes Kent ISD’s unique Data Warehouse and its contributions to education.

    The Data Warehouse is offered free-of-charge to local school districts.  Schools use it to store information from test scores and many other sources, then create customized reports that pinpoint difficulties students have in learning their lessons.  Teachers and administrators analyze the reports and use the information to make changes that help students learn.  In a recent survey of 40 Michigan ISDs, Kent ISD was one of only two districts to have a data warehouse three or more years old.

   “The Data Warehouse is a powerful tool for student achievement,” explained Kevin Konarska, superintendent of Kent ISD. “We are so pleased to get this award and recognize the work of our staff who made the warehouse a valuable component of education in our region.”

    “At Godwin Heights, the use of the data warehouse has been transformational,” said Arelis Diaz, assistant superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction.  “It has changed the way we look at instruction – helping us focus on the learning side of teaching and learning.”
“The Data Warehouse is an incredible tool that allows easy access to data, explains Gary Barton, principal of Harrison Park Middle School.  In the past, we would spend a tremendous amount of time just trying to find the right data. Now, we have a user-friendly data tool that provides specific information on student achievement to drive future instruction and measure past practices.”

The award was officially presented May 6 in Lansing. Winning this honor puts Kent ISD is in the running for the Michigan’s Best Award.  This is MASB’s highest honor, and will be awarded at their Annual Fall Conference.

Kent ISD is a local educational service agency devoted to achievement for all students in the nearly 400 schools, 20 public districts and three non-public districts within our boundaries.  We collaborate with the community and our districts to provide essential services and programs, allowing schools to send more dollars directly into the classroom.  We serve the community by helping our schools prepare 123,000 students for school and life success.