The Chesterfield County School Division is located west and south of the City of Richmond in central Virginia. The Division, serving 51,000 students, is undergoing dramatic change. Improving the level of excellence in the Chesterfield Schools will be dependent upon how well the Division will be able to respond to the complexity brought about by:
An Audit of Educational Effectiveness for the Chesterfield County School Division was commissioned by the School Board of the Chesterfield County School Division and the Superintendent with the support of the Chesterfield County government, Lane B. Ramsey, County Administrator. The Audit is a means of improving the quality of teaching and learning in the School Division. Information resulting from this Audit may also be useful in addressing creative ways to deal with the complex demographic conditions in Chesterfield County.
Since December 2000, SchoolMatch has collected and analyzed data from each regular elementary, middle and high school in Chesterfield County School Division and from the Division as a whole. The Audit program was initiated in a similar fashion to that which has assisted hundreds of school systems throughout the country. The SchoolMatch consultants conducted an on-site visitation to the Chesterfield County School Division on May 22-25, 2001.
Commendations to Chesterfield County School Division Personnel
SchoolMatch evaluators commend School Division personnel in attendance during the on-site visit for the assistance given, information provided, and the many courtesies extended. It was a pleasure to work with courteous and congenial school personnel, and School Division colleagues. In particular, the team extends appreciation for their time during the site visit to:
In addition, SchoolMatch is deeply grateful for the cooperation and expertise of the following persons, whose efforts made possible a productive and effective site visit:
The members of the audit team who visited the Chesterfield County School Division were especially pleased to have a chance to visit students and teachers in the classroom. The students are vivid reminders of how this study might assist the School Division and the community to create enhanced educational opportunities for Chesterfield County's students.
History of the Audit of Educational Effectiveness
In the mid-1980s, Dr. M. Donald Thomas initiated the "Audit of Educational Effectiveness" process using carefully designed levels of effectiveness and the SchoolMatch databases. Dr. Thomas, Superintendent Emeritus of the Salt Lake City Public Schools, has achieved national recognition as a widely respected school administrator, state education reformer, researcher, author and speaker.
A few years ago, SchoolMatch assumed the responsibility of working directly with school systems to continue this important process. This educational effectiveness audit compares the Chesterfield County School Division to similar student population demographics and staff characteristics nationwide.
Using a variety of data sources, including SchoolMatch records, data available from the U.S. and state departments of education, professional judgment and research techniques (data analysis, interviewing, polling, and others), our auditors examined a wide range of performance indicators in the Chesterfield County School Division. These indicators range from test scores to student and staff attendance to public support for the School Division (without which no school system can succeed). In each case, the results have been compared against those of the best of similar student and staff demographic populations nationwide.
The SchoolMatch Team of Consultants
In initiating the Audit for the Chesterfield County School Division, SchoolMatch involved six on-site visitation consultants, its databases, editorial consultants, and support staff. The following consultants and SchoolMatch editors served on the Chesterfield School Division audit team:
Dr. William L. Bainbridge currently serves as President and CEO of SchoolMatch, and as a Distinguished Research Professor at The University of Dayton. He is the former superintendent of three school systems in Ohio and Virginia, and former Assistant to the Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction. He was named Educator of the Year by the Ohio PTA and has served as educational consultant to over 400 corporations and hundreds of school systems. The Fellow of the American College of Forensic Examiners and Diplomate of the National Academy for School Executives is a Lecturer in Educational Leadership and Change for Nova Southeastern University. He has been featured on NBC's Today Show, ABC's Good Morning America, CNN, NPR, CBS radio and over 400 national and local television and radio programs. He earned his Ph.D. at The Ohio State University, and completed post-doctoral studies at Columbia University.
Dr. Suzanne Burkholder, Educational Consultant, is a Past President of the American Association of School Personnel Administrators, Past President of The Ohio State University chapter of Phi Delta Kappa and the Columbus Mortar Board Alumni. She is a former administrator in the Mayfield City and Southwestern City School systems in Ohio. She has served as Interim Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Director of Personnel and Field Experience Supervisor. Dr. Burkholder also was an adjunct professor in the College of Education at The Ohio State University, where she earned her Ph.D. and received the Alumni "Award of Distinction."
Jillian B. Herbst, M.A., Associate Editor at SchoolMatch, former Associate Book Review Editor for International Politics: A Journal of Transnational Issues and Global Problems, published by Kluwer Law International, and Editor of Recluse Magazine. Ms. Herbst holds a BA in Political Science from the University of South Carolina at Columbia and an MA in Political Science from Ohio University in Athens.
K. Dianne Katzenmoyer is SchoolMatch Executive Director of Client Relations, and adjunct faculty at Columbus State Community College (OH). She previously served as assistant to the superintendent of the 14,000-student Westerville (OH) School System and Assistant Director of a non-profit organization preparing high school students for career opportunities. She is currently pursuing advanced studies in educational administration and school accountability.
Dr. Richard P. Koeppe, past president of the Colorado Association of School Executives, has 22 years experience in superintendency positions including the chief executive roles in both the Denver (CO) and Cherry Creek (CO) Public Schools. He also has served on the board of the Kent-Denver School, a private college preparatory school. He served as Professor in Educational Administration at the University of Colorado at Denver. The past-president of the Denver (CO) Rotary Club holds his Ph.D. in testing and guidance from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Dr. Roderick J. McDavis is Provost at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. He is former Dean of the College of Education and Professor at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He previously served as Dean of the College of Education at the University of Arkansas and also was Director of the Arkansas Academy for Leadership Training and School Based Management. Dr. McDavis is Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toledo.
Dr. Gail F. McKinzie has been Superintendent of Indian Prairie School District 204, Naperville IL, since 1995. District 204 is one of the fastest growing school systems in the nation. Dr. McKinzie is former Superintendent and senior administrator in several school systems in Missouri and Iowa; lecturer in curriculum and instruction at the University of Missouri and Iowa State University; and consultant to Phi Delta Kappa. Among her considerable honors are the Iowa Excellence in Administration Award and Missouri PTA Life Award. Dr. McKinzie serves as a Director on the boards of Rush Copley Hospital, Naperville YMCA, and Knox Retirement Village, in addition to her work with Aurora and Naperville Chambers of Commerce, Rotary International and a host of professional organizations. Dr. McKinzie earned her Ph.D. from Iowa State University and completed post-doctoral work in Educational Administration at the University of Missouri.
Dr. Steven M. Sundre currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of SchoolMatch and as a Distinguished Research Professor at The University of Dayton. He is a former Executive Director of the Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration, Washington, D.C., where he currently serves as the elected public member of the Board. He has been a Kellogg Fellow and former graduate faculty member, The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He serves on the Board of Directors of Support for Talented Students, a non-profit organization assisting low-income children with special gifts and talents. He earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership and organizational behavior at The Ohio State University, where he received the Thomas Holy Award in educational research.
| Back to Table of contents | Next Section: Introduction |