What Our Clients Are Saying...
The most significant measure of our experiential knowledge is the value our clients realize. We understand that it is our results that differentiate us from others. Client assessments are integral to all of our consultations and these client comments are provided as representative testaments to our value.
"From the first interview, they stood head and shoulders above the other consultants as the ones most committed to helping us fulfill our goal of selecting the most qualified Superintendent of Schools for Owen D. Young Central School District. Having now completed the process and looking back, the amount of time that they spent working for our District can only be explained as extraordinary. Truly, our investment in them was money well spent. In regards to the search process, they were extremely adept at listening to the spoken words of each Board member and translating them into objective, measurable goals or statements with our final objective of hiring the most qualified Superintendent for the District in mind. They were the only candidate with the flexibility and willingness to conduct the Superintendent search according to the wishes of our Board. During the entire process, they masterfully maneuvered the Board through the search process, even with the many differing opinions individual Board members had at various times. The method utilized by them not only made the most sense, but without a doubt, brought us the most qualified candidate to lead our District into the future. I am sure that when you interview, and compare and contrast the pros and cons of each consultant on their own merits, your choice to hire Orion Educational Consultants will become very clear."
School Board Member
"The study, which was more than 150 pages in length, contained 17 recommendations, each one supported by the qualitative and quantitative data findings. These recommendations have taken us through the last two years of a strategic plan, and will hopefully be fully implemented by the close of the 2008-09 school year. At that time, we will begin a process of curriculum review that will be cyclical through each of the content areas. The initial audit by the Orion Group provided us the opportunity to begin such a process through the review of the entire curriculum of the district. We are still using the findings and recommendations of that study to guide our district's strategic planning efforts for 2008-09."
Superintendent of Schools
"Orion Educational Consulting serves as a valuable resource to me and the school districts in my region. They are an excellent and experienced group of consultants. I have recommended and used them for dozens of workshops and retreats. Their honesty and integrity are matched by their desire to make all school district personnel positive and productive members of their school community. I have yet to find a school board or superintendent who has not found their services valuable and worthwhile. I highly recommend Orion as a resource for any school district that desires to improve focus, goals, vision, relationships and productivity to provide a greater contribution to the community they serve."
BOCES District Superintendent of Schools
"In 2006-07 Orion came back in and did a full nine program report, focusing on governance, curricula, instruction, supervision, data analysis, resource allocation/prioritizing, staff development, human resources, and communication. This time the extensive report looked at what had been accomplished and where the district needed to continue improvement. It also looked at the culture of the district and gave suggestions for this area. The Orion report was comprehensive and very valuable in moving the district forward. In most cases, having an outside group as a consultant removed the subjective value of the reporting from employees and allowed us to look at successes and areas of opportunity in a professional manner. We are now pleased to state that we have been removed from the SINI lists, have moved through the Contract for Excellence in only one year, and are now listed as a High Performing ( HP) School and District. We are still using the report for improvement purposes and find it valuable as we look both backwards and towards the future. We were well served by the Orion Group. We highly recommend their services to a school system that is interested in a comprehensive instructional improvement plan."
Superintendent of Schools
"Their approach to clearly understanding how and why we operate was thorough, complete, non-judgmental and totally engaging of all stakeholders. By keeping everyone thinking forward throughout, they created an enormous amount of positive energy and enabled every stakeholder to embrace the specific changes we needed to make to improve. Their associates quickly established partnerships with us, enabling us to understand the wealth of fact and finding they presented and internalize these as we worked our way through developing an appropriate plan to address our improvement needs. For the first time, we now have a plan in place that is embraced by all, that thoroughly addresses the real learning and achievement priorities, and that gives us absolute improvement. The Orion consultants’ work still provides us with direction. They are extraordinary and without question the most competent, result-focused professionals we have experienced."
School Board President
"After having had a number of experiences with Orion as consultant and facilitator, I am pleased to provide these thoughts on their value as consultant and facilitator for our School District.
We have found that they sincerely take to heart the problems and issues of the district and prepare as if it is their school district. They are a no nonsense consultant and facilitator. While others sometimes joke around, and others engage in “touchy-feely” exercises, they go right to the heart of the matter. They establish an appropriate objective and keep us focused on achieving results. They waste no time and keep on topic throughout the consultation. They aim to please. They focus on meeting the needs and expectations of the board and superintendent. They demonstrate the wisdom to be able to strike a delicate balance between addressing the unique perspectives of the board and superintendent’s concerns. Their background in the private and public sectors provide them with a level of credibility that appeals to and is appropriate for both board and superintendent.
In conclusion, I believe they are a friend of superintendents. They understand superintendents’ challenges and work with boards to enact protocols and procedures that assist greatly with governance issues. I have been very pleased with their contribution to our district."
Superintendent of Schools
"It was my good fortune to work with Orion Educational Consulting. They served as a consultant to the Board of Education during a time when the Board was reorganizing and defining its leadership roles. Their charge was to help us define our respective roles, improve communication and generally, get us started on the right foot. I found their professional and personal demeanor to be very appropriate for the circumstances. The agenda they prepared and the exercises they developed demonstrated a sound understanding and appreciation of public schooling in New York State. They also retain a profound understanding of the complex relationship between board and superintendent. They understand the roles and responsibilities of both boards of education and the superintendent."
Superintendent of Schools
"Orion Educational Consulting took us through an organized process, in which we discovered what we really felt, found that we largely agreed with each other, and formed a short unifying statement that we all had ownership of. In this process, they helped us to realize what the real work of a board is. We were shown a different model for direction and decision making that can be applied to any organization, including our district. This model uses our current staff, but with activity flowing from a unifying purpose put forth by the board rather than as reaction to incidents. The best consultant discovers what you actually want and need, teaches you how to get to your goals, and leaves you feeling that you made good decisions that were your own. This is what Orion did for us."
School Board Member