Syracuse University Study

Elementary School Participates in
Study with Syracuse University

Syracuse University representatives Laura Payne-Bourcy and Tracey Menapace interview teachers, administrators, parents and support staff during their site visit to the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School on April 28th.

Syracuse University’s Office of Professional Research and Development is working with the New York State Education Department and PRISM Decision Systems to conduct a statewide educational initiative. The University has invited the elementary school to be part of this initiative based on the consistently high achievement scores on the New York State testing program grade 4 English Language Arts (ELA) and New York State Grade 4 Mathematics exams.

Of 3,000 schools in New York State who take the exams, only forty-five schools were invited to participate in this four year study. The elementary school was identified based on multiple year success rates in both the ELA and math exams.

The study will take a close look at low-wealth, high performing rural and urban school buildings to identify practices that have resulted in improved student achievement. The study will further develop effective ways to share these practices with schools with the same general demographic makeup and lower achievement results.

We are honored to be participating in a study of this caliber. It is truly a reflection of the dedication of our professionals in providing a quality, competitive education to our students. We are ever mindful of one of our value statements, “Committed to Continuous Improvement.”