These reports are produced to inform the people of new york State about the recent performance of public schools. We hope that these reports are used in constructive conversations which lead to improved education for all children in the State.

Continuing the Investment in Education Reform 2008-2009
Budget Testimony 2008-09 Commissioner Mills Legislative K-12 Testimony

Virtual Learning System (VLS)
The purpose of the new york State Education Department’s Virtual Learning System is to encourage the use of the Internet as a tool for teaching and learning and to assist classroom teachers in locating Internet resources for instruction. VLS offers the full text of new york State’s learning standards with their key ideas and performance indicators, as well as alternate performance indicators for students with severe disabilities. It provides resources that classroom teachers can use to support preK-12 standards-based instruction, such as sample tasks, learning experiences and lesson plans.

Summit on new york Education
The State Board of Regents convened leaders from education, business, and community service organizations to confront tremendous educational challenges. We must continue to close the achievement gaps that exist from early childhood through postsecondary education while also raising the performance of the entire system to the level needed to sustain the state’s economy in the face of global competition. We have made progress over the last decade, yet the gaps in achievement and productivity persist and impede new york’s economic and civic vitality.

P-16 Partnerships
At the December meeting of the Board of Regents P-16 partnerships were celebrated. Eight of the many P-16 Partnerships throughout the state are profiled in video.

New Combined Laparoscopy and Colonoscopy Procedure May Avoid Need for Major Surgery
A small number of patients diagnosed with polyps in their large intestine have extensive or difficult-to-remove polyps, such as those that are flattened against the colon wall or in hard-to-reach places. As with all polyps that may develop into malignant cancers, they must be removed. Unlike regular polyps, extensive or difficult-to-reach polyps have, until now, necessitated open surgery with a lengthy recovery time. Now, an experimental procedure, laparoscopic surgery combined with carbon-dioxide assisted colonoscopy, allows most patients to return home in less than a day — a potential advantage over traditional open surgery, which requires a three-to-seven-day hospital stay. The new procedure was developed and offered exclusively in the new york area by colon and rectal surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Commissioner Mills Names 15 New SURR Schools, Announces 5 Others to Close
State Education Commissioner Richard Mills today placed 15 Schools Under Registration Review SURR and reached agreements with new york City and Poughkeepsie to phase out and close five schools that otherwise would have been named to the SURR list.

Want a Healthy Colon? Eat a Rainbow!
Many Americans are aware of which foods are heart-healthy, but they often don t think about cooking for their colons. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, so it is just as important to understand how to choose colon-friendly foods. Lynn Goldstein, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., from the Jay Monahan Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, has assembled her key tips on the best food choices for a healthier colon.

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