NC expert in SAS® named to Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leaders list for 2009

State government data guru John Wetsch uses SAS® to track students over time and geography

CARY, NC  (Feb. 12, 2009)  –  Using SAS® software, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) integrates and analyzes K-12 student data from across the state, thanks in large part to the work done by Dr. John Wetsch, CIO of the NC Statewide Student Information System. Wetsch helped create and manage the NC Window of Information on Student Education (NC WISE), an Internet-based student information tracking system. He has been named one of IDG's Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2009. 

“I am honored to receive this award. The support from my co-workers has been tremendous,” said Wetsch. “We will continue to improve the services we provide through better access to data and improved functionality to support North Carolina schools. We make this happen through the dedication and perseverance of our team, as well as support from our school systems.” 

NC WISE supports the data analysis and reporting requirements of state and federal education initiatives such as No Child Left Behind. NC WISE offers unprecedented opportunities for local educators to use technology to make better instructional and business decisions in their schools. 

Wetsch is responsible for ensuring that NC WISE stays on task, on budget and on time, in order to serve the needs of 115 school districts, thousands of teachers and administrators and millions of students and their families in North Carolina. 

Previously, the state could not transfer data when a student moved from one school district to another. Using the SAS Enterprise Intelligence Suite for Education, NC WISE can now track those students. DPI has significantly improved data accuracy, increased reporting for data-driven decision making and improved communication between the state education agency and the local school districts. 

“With an education system in crisis, Dr. Wetsch has shown the power of harnessing and analyzing years of student data,” said Armistead Sapp, head of the SAS Education Practice. “We have to understand how students progress and learn over time in order to improve instruction.” Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders awards honor the 100 top IT and business executives who have led their organizations by mentoring and motivating employees, envisioning innovative solutions to business challenges, and effectively managing and executing IT strategies. The complete class of Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2009 appears online at http://www.computerworld.com/09/p100.

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