School improvement planning has become more prevalent and important due to increased calls from federal and state governments, state education agencies (SEAs), and the general public for more accountability in education. In many cases, the school principal is responsible for conceptualizing, drafting, and submitting the plan. However, there are very few publicly available tools that Read more about Rubrics for School Improvement[…]
A new report from the Center on School Turnaround presents promising practices for how to sustain the advances made in schools that have demonstrated rapid improvement. The practices presented are derived from a comprehensive review of relevant literature, and from the experience of five school principals who not only facilitated school turnaround but also sustained Read more about Promising Leadership Practices for Rapid School Improvement That Lasts[…]
The Center on School Turnaround at WestEd (CST) has released the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement. This report was developed as a framework to assist states, districts, and schools in leading and managing rapid improvement efforts. The framework shares, in practical language, the critical practices of successful school turnaround in four domains, or areas Read more about Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement[…]
To understand how to turn around a failing school quickly, using as few resources as possible, Alex Hill, Liz Mellon, Jules Goddard and Ben Laker studied changes made by 160 UK academies after they were put into remedial measures by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED) up to seven years Read more about How to Turn Around a Failing School[…]
A significant challenge to school turnaround efforts is a lack of turnaround leaders available to work in these schools. Four education organizations —The Center on School Turnaround at WestEd, the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, Public Impact, and the University of Virginia Darden/Curry Partnership – have been studying issues of school turnaround and have Read more about Identifying, Selecting, and Retaining School Turnaround Leaders: How-To Modules[…]
School System 20/20 from Education Resource Strategies presents the first version of School System 20/20 Assessments and Metrics, a detailed set of key questions and metrics used to create the Lawrence case study, and designed to help school systems understand whether their policies, structures, and practices create the conditions for improving student performance at scale. Read more about School System 20/20 Assessments and Metrics[…]
In what seems to be an increasing (and welcome!) trend, Harvard economist Dr. Roland G. Fryer Jr. has been attempting to translate his empirical research into results for schools. Dr. Fryer won the prestigious John Bates Clark medal this year in part for his research on 39 New York City charter schools. He hoped to Read more about What Makes a School Successful?[…]
A redesigned School Turnaround Learning Community (STLC) site provides access to a range of free resources and opportunities for engagement focused on school turnaround in action. A project of the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd, the STLC supports state, district, and school leaders working to improve the nation’s lowest-achieving schools. STLC makes it easier Read more about School Turnaround Resources[…]
As summarized here, the federal government has recently reported on the success of the Race to the Top program. But can we know the impact of Race to the Top after only four years? A new report by Tiffany D. Miller and Robert Hanna at the Center for American Progress suggest that we truly can’t, Read more about Four Years Later, Are Race to the Top States on Track?[…]
A new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education examines how implementing rigorous and engaging curriculum aligned with college- and career-ready standards fosters positive school climates in which students are motivated to succeed, achievement gaps narrow, and learning and outcomes improve. The report, Climate Change: Providing Equitable Access to a Rigorous and Engaging Curriculum, includes Read more about Climate Change: Rigorous Curriculum for All[…]
The U.S. Education Department has announced funding for a new AmeriCorps grant program focused on School Turnaround. This action extends the Together for Tomorrow program that focuses on increased community engagement in low-performing schools. Below is the explanation from the Education Department blog: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Wendy Spencer, chief executive officer Read more about Education Department promises $15 million to School Turnaround AmeriCorps program[…]
A recent report from the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse identifies practices that can improve the performance of chronically low-performing schools — a process commonly referred to as “turnaround.” The report, Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools, makes four recommendations based on current research into school turnaround efforts: Schools signal the need for dramatic Read more about What Works Clearinghouse: School Turnarounds[…]
As both the federal government and states face unprecedented challenges in raising standards and increasing outcomes for all students, state education agencies (SEAs) need to take a new approach; one focused less on compliance and more on performance management. For most SEAs this is a daunting and complicated task. A new study from the Center Read more about Leading State Education Agencies Focus on Data, Worry about Access to Talent[…]
Few efforts are as pressing this school year as those of identifying issues and creating new approaches to improve educator quality. In support of these imperatives, (AIR) has released new resources to ensure that leaders have the capabilities and tools needed to successfully improve teaching and learning. The online destinations for these new resources can Read more about AIR Releases New Tools and Assessments to Turn Around Educator Quality[…]