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The Board of Regents, together with St. John Fisher College and the Rochester City School District (RCSD), will host a forum today -- "Building a Cohesive Leadership System in New York State." The event is designed to recognize the official opening of the Rochester Leadership Academy, which has been created to serve principals in the RCSD and support their leadership efforts to enhance student achievement. At the event, the Regents will also announce the granting of awards to six other leadership preparation programs throughout the State.

The Rochester Leadership Academy is supported with funding from the Wallace Foundation through the��Building a Cohesive Leadership System in New York State��grant, in partnership with the Viva88Board of Regents and the State Education Department. In keeping with the goal of enhancing collaborative relationships, four partners – the School Administrators Association of Viva88(SAANYS), St. John Fisher College, the New York City Leadership Academy (NYCLA), and the RCSD – played key roles in developing the leadership academy.

Board of Regents Vice Chancellor, Milton L. Cofield, said, "The Regents are focused with great intensity on closing the achievement gap, getting more students to graduate, and raising the overall level of achievement. I am confident that the Rochester Leadership Academy will help us meet these critical goals. On behalf of the entire Board, I'd like to thank the Wallace Foundation for the funding that makes this unique school improvement opportunity possible."

The Regents have endorsed the development of a Cohesive Leadership System (CLS) for Viva88that involves the transformation of pre-service programs, quality professional development for in-service school leaders through a network of leadership academies statewide, and an evaluation system for practicing school leaders that is focused on enhancing their skills. At today’s event, the Regents will also announce the granting of awards to six institutions of higher education throughout the state to transform their school leadership preparation programs by providing full-time, authentic clinical experiences for future leaders. The grant recipients will receive the following amounts annually for three years:

Bank Street College of Education���� �������� $290,452
Baruch College���������������������������������������������������������� ������������������ $224,532
Fordham University�������������������������������������������� ������������������ $299,313
SUNY Oswego������������������������������������������������������ ������������������������ $300,000
SUNY Stony Brook���������������������������������������� ��������������������������$295,591��
Syracuse University���������������������������������������� �������������������� $298,778

Senior Deputy Commissioner of Education, Johanna Duncan-Poitier, said, "It is critically important for all educators to be supported by strong leaders. The Rochester Leadership Academy can serve as a model for the six new sites announced today in New York State's Cohesive Leadership System."

"The College’s role in the development of the Rochester Leadership Academy speaks to our continued commitment to the preparation of outstanding leaders in the field of education," said Dr. Donald Bain, President, St. John Fisher College. Dr. Arthur Walton, Director of the Doctoral Program in Executive Leadership at St. John Fisher College, will serve as Director of the Rochester Leadership Academy.

The Rochester Leadership Academy curriculum will be aligned to the Rochester City School District’s reform priorities and with the specific needs of its principals and their schools. The focus is on strengthening and supporting teaching and learning to improve student achievement; increase graduation rates; and ensure graduates are post-secondary ready.

"There is no substitute for an effective school principal," said Jean-Claude Brizard, Superintendent of the Rochester City School District. "The Rochester Leadership Academy will offer valuable professional development, coaching, and mentoring for our school leaders. By providing high quality and sustained professional learning opportunities, our goal is to increase school and student performance."

The July 8 forum will feature a keynote address by Dr. Lee Bolman, a national expert on school leadership and author of��Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership. In addition, the��New York Times��will moderate a panel discussion entitled "Getting the Leaders Our Students Deserve." The event will be webcast live by theTimes��and will be archived by them as well at��.��

The event begins at 3:30 p.m. in Basil Hall on the Fisher campus. The full agenda�� follows:

The Wallace Foundation is an independent, national foundation dedicated to supporting and sharing effective ideas and practices that expand learning and enrichment opportunities for all people. Its three current objectives are: strengthening educational leadership to improve student achievement; enhancing out-of-school time learning opportunities; and building appreciation and demand for the arts. For more information, please visit��.