Cost-Effectiveness Fact Sheet
Cost-Effective School Districts
January 26, 1999
In order to achieve cost effectiveness:
- The district researches,
- Evaluates, and
- Adopts best practices in an effort to strive for excellence.
The district applies best practices to all areas of the district’s operation including:
- Business administration,
- Food service,
- Buildings and grounds,
In the area of instruction:
- Curriculum is restructured to ensure alignment with New York’s 28 learning standards and
- Instruction has been redesigned to ensure that children achieve at high levels based upon the standards.
Cost-effective districts measure results:
- The district measures progress based upon the State’s revised system of assessments as well as rigorous local assessment strategies.
Cost-effective professional development:
- The district has implemented a professional development system which provides:
- All staff the training, support and follow-up required to ensure that students achieve at high levels, and
- Excellence is achieved in all areas of the district’s operation.
The use of best practices promotes:
- Improved student achievement;
- A positive, safe and healthful learning environment; and
- Accountability for the use of district resources.
In a cost-effective environment:
- community confidence in the district and support for public education grow and flourish.
- The school district has clear picture of where the district is today and has established targets or milestones for where it wants to be in the future both short and long term.
- The milestones are measurable and a prioritized set of strategies are employed to achieve the district’s objectives.
- This principle is applied to all areas of operation, not just curriculum, instruction and assessment.
- The district enlists the support and participation of partners in the community, including parents, business and industry, and other units of government to help achieve its strategic objectives.
- The district regularly assesses and evaluates progress on achieving or meeting specific milestones in support of its strategic objectives and reports results regularly to parents and the community.
- Accomplishments are celebrated.