2001 National Conference on Education - American Association of School Administrators

School Administrator, Dec, 2000

Daniel R. Mastrobuono

AASA member: 25 years

Current position: superintendent, Camden County, Blackwood, N.J., Jan. 1998 to present

Most recent previous position: superintendent, Fairfield, N.J., Dec. 1990 to Jan. 1998

Postsecondary education: Doctorate of Education, NOVA University, 1981; Masters, Glassboro State College, 1969; Bachelor of Science, Rutgers University, 1961

AASA and other activities: chair, NJASA Small Schools Committee; chair, AASA Rural/Small School Administrators Committee; participant in AASA National Academy for Evaluating the School Staff; chair, New Jersey Phi Delta Kappa Educational Issues Committee; member, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development; member, New Jersey Association for Community Education; member, Cumberland County Curriculum Consortium; past-president Zeta Nu chapter, Phi Delta Kappa, Glassboro State College; former member, Executive Committee of New Jersey Association of School Administrators

Leadership News Online

Recent reports--on teacher quality, class size and reading tutors--offer policy alternatives for raising academic achievement. You can read concise summaries of these important studies and others in Leadership News Online:

* Researchers Argue Merits of Smaller Classes

Reductions make more difference for low-performing students; across-the-board decreases, must be balanced with policy alternatives, experts say.

* Study Finds Students of Nationally Certified Teachers Perform Better

Students instructed by middle-school teachers with national board certification performed better than those taught by instructors who sought but did not earn the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards seal of approval, according to results of a blind study released by NBPTS.

* Strategies for Successful Volunteer Tutoring Programs

Recent brief summarizes findings from an evaluation of 17 programs that used tutors to help students overcome reading problems.

Recent Leadership News Online stories provided updates on the ongoing work of the Minority Student Achievement Network, described an initiative in Houston to raise graduation and college-going rates for disadvantaged students, reported on the work of school districts with nationally recognized professional development programs, and, overall, helped keep busy school leaders abreast of the latest education-related news:

* Districts Look to Students for Clues in Closing Achievement Gap

Network gathers high-achieving minority students to discuss interventions, finding roles for leaders at all levels.

* 1,600 Volunteers Mobilize To Help Students Achieve Dream of College

Project GRAD Walk for Success "a way of changing the culture of the community."

* Model Professional Development Begins With Superintendents

Alabama, Florida and Kansas districts put staff training at center of achievement improvement strategies.

* Parents' Beliefs About Children's Development Differ from Research

New national survey finds that many parents emphasize flashcards, educational television and computer activities and don't understand the importance of the connection between physical play, such as playground activities, and intellectual development.