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Maureen Rayhill

Maureen Rayhill, Board President
started her own management consulting practice in 2007 which specializes in strategic planning, change management, and business development. Her clients include corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations. Maureen has designed education programs for the New York City public school system, and the New York State Department of Health, and has developed strategic plans for nonprofits operating in the education sector. She has also designed and implemented restructuring plans for corporate and nonprofit clients. Maureen was a Vice President at Giuliani Partners LLC where her work included growth and communications strategies, and private equity investment. She taught Greek and Latin and served as Dean at Manhattan's Trinity School. She has an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Classics from Bowdoin College.



Education News: June 24, 2010

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the
week ending on July 9, 2010.


Are Smaller Schools the Answer?
(Education Week, July 1st) During the mid-2000s breaking down large struggling schools into smaller schools became a national trend. Now, with recent data showing that small schools do not necessarily increase student test scores, some districts have become skeptical to continue the trend. In Philadelphia, Superintendent Arlene Ackerman questions whether small schools are worth their higher running costs. According to Ackerman smaller high schools require a higher cost per student, money that she believes could be used to rectify some of the inequalities seen in larger schools.

Detroit to Open School Run by Teachers
(Education Week, July 8th) The Detroit Public School System has announced that they will be opening an elementary school where teachers will be responsible for making most administrative decisions. The school will be the first without a principal and will cater to students from kindergarten through the fourth grade.

Despite Race to the Top Cuts, House Bill Commits Billions to Save Teachers? Jobs
(New York Times, July 1st) On Thursday, the House approved a war financing bill that includes a provision, proposed by House Democrats, to cut $500 million from the Race to the Top grant program. Despite such cuts, the provision will allocate an additional $10 billion to help prevent wide spread teacher layoffs. The legislation still requires Senate approval.

Los Angeles Faces Growing Gap between Wealthy and Under Privileged Students
(USA Today, June 29th) After enduring $1.5 billion in education budget cuts over the past two years, the Los Angeles Unified School District has struggled to improve student success. Now, as the state?s school funding crisis continues, concerns regarding the budget cuts? impact have begun to arise. With cuts resulting in larger class size, students with fewer economic and educational resources will likely face the greatest consequences. The result may be an increased gap between the success of poor and more affluent students.

New York Has Highest Per-Student Spending Rate
(USA Today, June 29th) According to the US census, released last week, New York schools spent nearly 67% more per-student than the national average in 2007-2008. New York was one of only eighteen states to spend more than the $10,259 national average. The data was compiled from 15,569 public-school districts across the country.

Court Rules to Keep 19 Failing Schools Open
(New York Times, July 2nd) A state court ruled that 19 failing New York City schools, which did not adequately notify the public of their closing, must remain open. The ruling blocks one of Mayor Michael Bloomberg?s key campaigns to shutdown several poor performing schools across the city. Because many students had assumed that the schools were closing, few had applied to attend. The result could be significantly smaller incoming class sizes.

Court Rejects District?s School Consolidation Plan
(Education Week, July 8th) A request by the Union Parish School System in Farmerville, Louisiana, to consolidate grade levels in several of its smaller schools was rejected by a federal court this week. The school system has already spent upwards of $200,000 in construction to prepare for the consolidation.

Michigan?s K-12 Funding Surplus Could Help Struggling Universities
(Education Week, June 9th) Expecting a funding surplus for Michigan?s k-12 schools next year, lawmakers have considered redistributing funds to support the state?s struggling university system. Despite the expected surplus from the k-12 system, the state faces a general funds deficit of $300 million. By redirecting the k-12 surplus to other education institutions, lawmakers hope to narrow this deficit.

Teacher for America Hopes to Expand Colorado Teaching Corps
(Denver Post, June 10th) Teach for America plans to dramatically increase the number of its teachers in Colorado, if the state wins funding in the next round Race to the Top grants. The non-profit organization hopes to double its teaching corps to 270 by next year and aims to expand the program to 400 teachers by 2013.

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