school turnaround

8/7/2019 School Turnaround

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Incentivizing School TurnaroundA Proposal for Reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act

Jeremy Ayers and Melissa Lazarn April 2011


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Incentivizing School TurnaroundA Proposal for Reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act

Jeremy Ayers and Melissa Lazarn April 2011


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1 Introduction and summary

2 A brief history: The No Child Left Behind Act and the Sch

Improvement Grant Program

4 The time to act is now

5 Recommendation #1

Target dollars to high-need schools and districts ready to refor

8 Recommendation #2

Identify the interventions that will make the greatest impact

11 Recommendation #3

Boost state capacity to support school turnaround

15 Recommendation #4 Hold all parties accountable for progress

19 Conclusion

20 Endnotes

21 About the authors and acknowledgements

Cntnts


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Irduci ad summar | www.americaprgress.

Intructin an suary

Large numbers o schools across he counry are low perorming and have been or years.

Tis longsanding and widespread problem painully reveals ha individual schools are

no he only ones responsible or heir perormance. Te public school sysem as a whole

is unable, and someimes unwilling, o address he roo causes o dysuncion.

Disrics rapidly inroduce piecemeal reorms a low-perorming schools bu neglec

larger issues o human capial and leadership. esricive sae policies and lack o ime

or experise preven sae educaion agencies rom eecively managing disric reorms.Signican and susained inervenions, wih srong suppor and oversigh rom ouside

o he school, are necessary o inerrup coninuous cycles o underperormance.

Federal policy can play an insrumenal role in reciying he sysemic ailures ha

allow schools o ounder. Te reauhorizaion o he Elemenary and Secondary

Educaion Ac, or ESEA, is a ripe opporuniy o revise he laws main program ha

suppors school improvemenhe School Improvemen Gran und.

Tereore, we make our recommendaions:

arge dollars o high-need schools and disrics ready o reorm so ha limied

ederal dollars make he greaes impac Use in-deph daa o ideniy he inervenions ha disrics and schools should

implemen o achieve maximum resuls Build he capaciy o saes o suppor school-level reorm Consruc sensible evaluaion, reporing, and accounabiliy policies ha suppor

subsanial school urnaround

We agree wih criics ha some aspecs o he curren School Improvemen Gran pro-gram could be improved o serve he needs o low-perorming schools beter. Bu we dis-

agree ha school improvemen should be le enirely o saes, due o he sysemic naure

o he problem. Tus, some orm o school improvemen mus be par o a reauhorized

ESEA. Tis paper, hough no oering deniive answers, lays ou clear seps he ederal

governmen can ake o incenivize school urnaround.


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2 Ceer r America Prgress | Iceivizig Scl turarud

A brif histry: Th N Chil

Lft Bhin Act an th Schl

Iprvnt Grant PrgraTe mos recen ieraion o he Elemenary and Secondary Educaion Ac was

named he No Child Le Behind Ac, or NCLB, and i oered a much-needed

ramework o disinguish underperorming schools rom more successul ones.

Te 2002 law also required sruggling schools ha ailed o improve o underake

one o several acions o work oward improvemenreopen as a charer school;

replace all or mos o he school sa who are relevan o he ailure o make prog-

ress; hire a privae managemen organizaion o run he school; urn over opera-

ion o he school o he sae; or undergo any oher major resrucuring o heschools governance. Unorunaely, he majoriy o schools chose he opion ha

allows or he mos exibiliyand he leas signican change.1

In ile I o ESEA lawmakers auhorized a secion o und signican school

improvemen programs, and i was called he School Improvemen Gran, or SIG,

und. SIG received unding o almos $500 million in FY 2008, bu Congress

appropriaed much larger sums o money or he program under he American

ecovery and einvesmen Ac o 2009, or AR. SIG unding rom AR and

he regular FY 2009 appropriaions reached $3 billion.

In 2009, he Obama adminisraion endeavored o srenghen he SIG program by

increasing unding andargeing dollars o he lowes-achieving 5 percen o ile I

schools in each sae. Te adminisraion made SIG compeiive wihin saes and

winnowed he menu o inervenions o ourwha he Deparmen o Educaion

considered mos likely o disrup he cycle o underperormance in schools.

Te acions required or receip o SIG dollars moivaed many saes and disrics

o radically change heir approach owards low-perorming schools. A he same

ime many disrics sruggled o implemen he required inervenions, especiallywhile operaing in a policy environmen ha oherwise mainained he saus quo.

Oher disrics chose no o apply a all . Saes voice appreciaion or new unds

bu admi ha implemening he program in disrics has been challenging.2


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A brie isr: te n Cild Le Beid Ac ad e Scl I mprveme Gra Prgram | www.americaprgress.

In 2011, he Deparmen o Educaion renamed SIG he School urnaround

Program. In public remarks Presiden Obama and Secreary o Educaion Arne

Duncan have prioriized urning around low-perorming schools as par o reau-

horizing ESEA. In March, Presiden Obama praised Miami Cenral High School,

a SIG-unded school, saying: Youre doing wha I challenged saes o do shorly

aer I ook ofce, and has urning Americas lowes-perorming schools around.Tis is somehing ha hasn received as much atenion as i should. Bu i could

hardly be more imporan o our counry.3


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Th ti t act is nw

egardless o poliical afliaion, educaors and he public realize ha sruggling

schools need signican atenion i hey are o improve subsanially. Tereore,

we encourage Congress o make he rapid improvemen o Americas lowes-

perorming schools a prioriy in he reauhorizaion o ESEA. As Congress

approaches his ask, i mus ensure ha school improvemen eors are no iso-

laed rom oher imporan reorms in he law. Te urnaround program should

be par o a comprehensive educaion reorm law ha addresses eacher and

principal eeciveness, sandards and assessmens, accounabiliy sysems, daacollecion, and sae and disric managemen pracices.

Grounding urnaround policy in a robus ederal accounabiliy sysem is crucial

because accounabiliy policies help ideniy schools or improvemen, inorm

he acions necessary or improvemen, and provide poliical cover and incenives

(even i negaive) or making subsanial headway on oucomes. Spelling ou a

new ederal accounabiliy policy is beyond he scope o his paper. Bu we believe

improvemen and accounabiliy go hand-in-hand, and we urge Congress o hold

saes, disrics, and schools accounable or urning around all schools, no jus

heir lowes-perorming ones.


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Recmmedai #1: targe dllars ig-eed scls ad disrics read rerm | www.americaprgress.

ReCommeNdATIoN #1

Targt llars t high-n schls

an istricts ray t rfr

Federal policy has an hisoric mission o redress inequiy, so i makes sense ha

he chie acor in receiving urnaround unds should be a schools need based on

povery. Need, however, should also be dened by underperormance since he

goal o he urnaround program is o raise suden achievemen and oucomes like

graduaion raes. Tereore, we believe a new school urnaround program should

coninue o arge he lowes-achieving 5 percen o ile-I eligible schools in each

sae, including high schools wih graduaion raes below 60 percen.

Cngrss shul allcat turnarun grants t stats bas n

nstrat n an a rcr f unrprfranc.

We recommend ha school urnaround grans arge any school and is disric

ha is eligible or, even i no receiving, ile I dollars and:

Is deemed chronically underperorming by he sae. Tis deerminaion will

be based on perormance on sae assessmens in mah and reading/English

language ars, and graduaion raes, as explained in a saes applicaion or urn-

around unding.

Demonsraes chronic underperormance in he all sudens group as well as

achievemen gaps beween major suden sub-groups.

Ensures ha high schools ha have low graduaion raes (60 percen or less)

have equiable access o urnaround grans. Te sae can reserve a porion o

unds or high schools or award prioriy poins o disrics ha include high

schools in heir applicaions.4

Saes should go a sep urher in deermining and reporing suden need so

ha he picure is clear wha ederal unds are being used o address. Case sudy

research has shown ha comprehensive needs assessmens should include:5


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Acual perormance level or sudens and subgroups o sudens scoring below

procien on sae ess Disabiliy level and wheher sudens receive special educaion services wihin

heir general educaion classes or hrough separae resource classes Te concenraion o sudens across languages

Te level o English prociency or English language learners Suden mobiliy Te number o sudens in various risk caegories, including exreme povery

and oser care

Stats shul cptitivly awar turnarun grants t istricts that

nstrat th strngst citnt an capacity t rfr.

Federal dollars can be maximized by argeing unds o low-perorming schools

in disrics ha are also ready o reorm.6 Federal policy can leverage urnarounddollars o encourage disric-level reorm and hereby spend ederal money in a

way ha is expeced o yield resuls. Unorunaely, in he previous adminisraion

o SIG less han a hird o schools chose one o he bolder models (urnaround,

resar, or closure).7 Tereore, disrics should be prioriized or unding based on

heir commimen o and capaciy or reorm including:

Human capital: he exen o which he disric has developed a srong human

capial sysem. Disrics mus be able o show ha hey have a sufcien pool

o eecive educaors o sa schools and a comprehensive plan o recrui and

reain eecive eachers and leaders in low-perorming schools. Furher, disrics

should use evaluaion sysems, based in par on suden achievemen daa, o

diereniae, reward, and improve eaching and school leadership.

Support for reform: he level o suppor among sakeholders. Suppor can be

demonsraed by memoranda o undersanding beween disric managemen

and he local eachers unions or proposed changes o collecive bargaining

agreemens. Disrics should also demonsrae a hisory o implemening bold

reorms and a willingness o make poliically difcul decisions.

Flexibility: he exen o which principals enjoy sufcien operaional exibiliy

in safng, scheduling, and budgeing o implemen aggressive improvemen

plans. Disrics mus provide suppor and reedom o school leaders in a way

ha makes urnaround schools a choice, even preerred, place o work.


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Recmmedai #1: targe dllars ig-eed scls ad disrics read rerm | www.americaprgress.

Data systems: he abiliy o he school and disric o use suden daa sysems

o drive decision-making and arge resources. Saes can be o subsanial help

o disrics in making sae-wide daa more accessible and user riendly, and

disrics are responsible or ensuring schools have ime and alen o review daa

so ha i inorms urnaround eors.


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ReCommeNdATIoN #2

Intify th intrvntins that will

ak th gratst ipact

Te Cener on Educaion Policys muliyear case sudy research o school

improvemen eors in six saes ound ha schools ha improved academic

achievemen and exied NCLBs resrucuring phase used a variey o sraegies,

indicaing ha here is no silver-bulle inervenion sraegy.8 Ye some common

pracices did emerge among schools ha were successul a exiing resrucuring.

All bu one o he schools, or example, ha exied resrucuring replaced a leas

some school sa. Approximaely hal o he schools ha did no exi resrucur-ing also replaced school sa, bu unlike heir more successul counerpars, hese

schools lacked he capaciy and suppor o eecively rehire new sa and over-

come he sa shorage. Tereore, some sa replacemen coupled wih adequae

capaciy and echnical assisance o sa hese schools is imporan.

Te inervenions required under he rs SIG grans incorporaed many o

he bes pracices o successul school urnarounds, including principal and

sa replacemen, a ocus on innovaive academic sraegies such as expand-

ing learning ime, as well as providing ederal policy suppor or school closure.

Only one inervenion, he ransormaion model, did no require signican

change in school leadership or managemen. ecen daa rom he Deparmen

o Educaion and independen researchers reveal ha he majoriy o schools are

choosing he ransormaion model.9 Tis saisic demonsraes he coninued

relucance o disrics o adop more dramaic reorms a low-perorming schools.

Hard-line reormers have worried ha he SIG program does no sufcienly

induce disrics o ake on subsanial reorms. Oher criics have argued he

our SIG models are oo prescripive and oo difcul o implemen in rural areas

where acions like replacing a majoriy o sa may be implausible.

Tereore, a revised urnaround program should oer schools and disrics boh

adequae exibiliy o ailor inervenions o heir local conex as well as sufcien

incenives o use more dramaicperhaps more poliically difculreorms.

Models used in SIG schools

ource: U.S. Department of Education, School Turnaround

(3) (2010).

Transformation

Turnaround

Restart

Closure

71%

21%

5%3%


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Recmmedai #2: Idei e ierveis a will make e greaes impac | www.americaprgress.

Disrics and schools, or example, ha agree o ake on more signican reorm

could receive reduced-reporing requiremens, prioriy or receiving unds, or

even addiional dollars as long as hey hi signican growh arges.10 Or disrics

and schools should be allowed o use heir exising improvemen sraegies, or

newly proposed sraegies o heir own, as long as hey have demonsraed sub-

sanial growh in suden achievemen.

Te urnaround sraegies we recommend or low-perorming schools are also

characerisic o high-perorming schools and disrics, including hose in oher

counries. Te worlds highes-perorming school sysems, such as Singapore

and Finland, place a signican emphasis on recruiing heir counrys leading

alen and reaining hem in he classroom.11 I is hereore no surprise ha

esablishing a pipeline o recrui new eachers and leaders is one o he srae-

gies ha we recommend below.

districts shul apt an intrvntin stratgy fr turnarun

schls that is bas upn a ata-rivn ns assssnt an

incrprats fback fr stakhlrs.

We recommend ha urnaround schools and disrics selec inervenion srae-

gies ha include one o he ollowing:

Closing he school and re-enrolling sudens in a higher-achieving school wihin

he disric

Closing he school and resaring i under he managemen o a charer

school operaor, charer school managemen organizaion, or an educaion

managemen organizaion

Agreeing o a se o ransormaion requiremens ha include screening sa or

eeciveness using rigorous evaluaion sysems, replacing ineecive principals

and eachers wih eecive ones, and developing reward sysems or atracing

and reaining highly eecive principals and eachers

Employing an exising sraegy ha has demonsraed success a he school

or a new sraegy ha has demonsraed success in similar conexs. Success is

dened as making a leas a 10 percen increase in suden achievemen in mah

and reading/English language ars in one year


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In addiion, we recommend ha disrics adop he ollowing policies o aciliae

he success o he required-inervenion sraegies:

Insiuing muual consen policies or schools receiving urnaround grans. A

highly eecive sa is a necessary componen o a school urnaround sraegy.

Tereore, principals mus have he abiliy o choose heir sa, and eachersha do no wish o remain in a urnaround school have he opion o leave

heir posiion.

Esablishing parnerships, when pracicable, wih an exernal provider. Around

he counry, examples o successul school urnaround have ound ha an

exernal managemen organizaion is inegral o providing suppor and accoun-

abiliy or a sruggling school or clusers o schools.12


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Recmmedai #3: Bs sae capaci suppr scl urarud | www.americaprgress.

ReCommeNdATIoN #3

Bst stat capacity t supprt

schl turnarun

Schools do no operae in isolaion rom he disrics and saes in which hey are

locaed. Dysuncional schools oen operae in dysuncional disrics, moniored

by saes ha lack he abiliy o inervene. Under NCLB, saes were empowered

o ake over low-perorming schools, bu he law did litle o increase sae capac-

iy o perorm his role or o be sraegic in urnaround eors.13 Case sudies have

shown ha many saes do no have he capaciy or legal auhoriy o manage

low-perorming schools.14

We know, however, ha sae educaion agencies and school disrics are insru-

menal o creaing an environmen in which urnaround reorms can exis.15

urnaround unds can be used as an incenive o change sae and disric policies

so ha hey suppor school urnaround.

Stat applicatins shul b valuat n critria that nstrat

th stats lgal, statutry, r rgulatry authrity t fstr rfr.

In reviewing sae applicaions or urnaround grans, he Deparmen o

Educaion should evaluae he exen o which he sae has he legal, sauory, or

regulaory auhoriy o:16

Suppor human-capial reorms inegral o urnaround. An evaluaion o his

crieria may include one or more o he ollowing: Ideniying sauory or regulaory barriers, o removing ineecive principals

or eachers rom urnaround schools. Assuring ha removal o ineecive sa will no negaively impac oher schools.

Ideniying sauory or regulaory barriers o providing principals discreionover sa, schedule, budge, and programs ha are par o urnaround plans.

Ensure he sae or disric has he abiliy o hire exernal parners, i needed, o

suppor urnaround eors.


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Inervene direcly in he managemen o low-perorming schools. Saes need

he exibiliy o creae innovaive managemen srucures or ailing schools,

including he reassignmen o urnaround schools o a sae-managed disric.

Stat applicatins shul b valuat bas n thir ability ancitnt t buil istrict capacity thrugh principal an tachr

training, cllct turnarun ata, clustr turnarun schls, an

crat stat turnarun ffics.

In reviewing sae applicaions or urnaround grans, he Deparmen o

Educaion should evaluae sae applicaions based on heir commimen o:

Develop pipelines o eachers and leaders rained or urnaround schools Collec and repor urnaround daa Encourage he clusering o urnaround schools Build sae ofce capaciy or urnaround

Les examine each o hese evaluaion guidelines briey in urn.

dvlp piplins f tachrs an lars train fr turnarun schls

Susained improvemen a a chronically underperorming school can only be

creaed wih he leadership o a srong principal and srong eaching by a cadre

o eecive eachers. Because sa replacemen is oen necessary o jumpsar

school improvemen, disrics need access o a pipeline o eecive leaders and

eachers. Saes can assis disrics in his eor by working wih insiuions o

higher educaion or nonpros wih demonsraed success o develop rain-

ing programs and revise licensure requiremens ha limi poenial candidaes.

Te Virginia Deparmen o Educaion, or example, has a parnership wih he

Universiy o Virginia ha rains and provides high-perorming principals or

he saes lowes-perorming schools.

Cllct an rprt turnarun ata

Saes wih more sophisicaed daa sysems are in a beter posiion o enhance

urnaround eors because hey can provide inormaion ha drives reorm.Public sakeholders are more likely o suppor urnaround wih ime, money, and

poliical suppor when hey have clear daa abou low-perorming schools and


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Recmmedai #3: Bs sae capaci suppr scl urarud | www.americaprgress.

wha saes plan o do abou hem. Illinois, or example, published he applica-

ions o boh unded and ununded disrics compeing or grans. Successul

saes also se clear benchmarks or school urnaround, supply adminisraors

wih regular eedback on heir progress, and provide assisance in reooling

improvemen plans based on daa.

encurag th clustring f turnarun schls

Persisenly low-perorming schools can operae in isolaion in a higher-perorm-

ing disric or may share more similariies wih schools in anoher par o he

sae. Tis allows he sae o oversee all urnaround schools under a sae ofce

and helps provide rural schools wih suppor heir disric may no be able o

provide. Some saes, such as ennessee and Louisiana, have creaed disrics

consising o low-perorming schools. In a largely rural conex, Idaho has used

ederal SIG money o creae a nework o suppor or he lowes-perorming

schools and disrics in he sae.17 Large school disrics have also clusered heir

low-perorming schools in places like New York Ciy, Miami-Dade, Chicago, andCharlote-Mecklenburg. egardless o locaion creaing urnaround clusers

aciliaes pooled resources, exchange o bes pracices, increased leverage wih

exernal providers, and a sreamlined approach o managemen.

Buil stat ffic capacity fr turnarun

Sae-o-disric assisance is a key lever or improving he abiliy o disrics o

urn around heir schools, bu mos sae educaion agencies, or SEAs, lack he

capaciy or capial o do so. Some SEAs, such as hose in Colorado and Maryland,

have creaed specic deparmens ocused on school urnaround.18 Such ofces

help disrics in ideniying low-perorming schools, seting benchmarks or and

collecing daa on school progress, securing and adminisering complex grans,

and parnering wih exernal providers. SEA urnaround ofces can also spear-

head eors o align sae policies and regulaions wih urnaround reorms. SEAs,

or example, could provide disrics more exibiliy in personnel policies, sream-

line he procuremen process, or creae incenives or disrics and schools o ake

on dramaic reorm, such as reducing reporing requiremens or giving prioriy in

receiving unds. Some innovaive saes could even negoiae separae collecive

bargaining agreemens or heir urnaround schools.


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Stats shul cntinu t nitr an supprt lw-prfring

schls that nt rciv turnarun grants.

Since urnaround unds are allocaed hrough a compeiive process rom saes o

disrics, saes should be required o repor in uure applicaions how non-urn-

around schools, or eligible-bu-no-receiving schools, are being suppored o improveachievemen. Saes can help non-urnaround schools by implemening early warn-

ing indicaor sysems ha noiy a moderaely low-perorming school when i is in

danger o slipping ino severe underperormance. Such sysems rely on regularly

colleced daa o ag problemscorrelaed o school ailurebu also provide

guidance in how o address idenied problems beore hey ge ou o hand. Seting

benchmarks or progress, incenivizing signican (no gradual) reorm, and holding

he line on accounabiliy are crucial o supporing urnaround eors. Bu hey are

also helpul or all schools and should be par o any sae-accounabiliy plan.


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Recmmedai #4: hld all paries accuable r prgress | www.americaprgress.

ReCommeNdATIoN #4

Hl all partis accuntabl fr prgrss

Under NCLB, schools have largely born he burden o urning hemselves

around. Bu improving schools is a shared eor and one ha will likely be

unsuccessul wihou he ull suppor o he disric and sae educaion

agency. In reurn or receiving ederal urnaround grans, schools should be

held accounable or demonsraing gains in academic achievemen and oher

indicaors o school improvemen. Disrics and saes should also be held

accounable or holding up heir end o he bargain o provide schools wih

necessary suppor and resources.

Evaluaing paricipaing schools, disrics, and saes is crucial because rigorous

research on urnarounds is limied. Evaluaions can help inorm a wide array o

school reorm eors since eecive urnaround requires, among oher hings, a

robus human capial sysem, an eecive and responsive longiudinal daa sysem,

and efcien use o learning ime.

Cngrss shul rquir stats t st bncharks an prfranc

targts fr ach schl rciving turnarun funs.

Schools deserve o know up ron wha he sae expecs hem o accomplish

and wha rewards or consequences ensue. Accounabiliy policiesa leas

ones ha are air and ransparenclearly ariculae in advance wha annual

achievemen arges low-perorming schools mus mee, including explici

inerim seps (or benchmarks) necessary o reach hose arges. In seting

arges and benchmarks, Congress should esablish some parameers or require

sae plans o be approved by he Deparmen o Educaion. Ta way saes are

challenged and required o se bold goals. egardless o he means, he ederalgovernmen has a vesed ineres in ensuring is resources are spen on signi-

can growh in school improvemen.


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Cngrss shul rquir stats an istricts t cllct an t rprt

ata that infrs turnarun ffrts. Turnarun ata shul

inclu, at a iniu, laing inicatrs an cr inicatrs.

Dramaic gains in academic achievemen and graduaion raes may be elusive

wihin he rs one or wo years o urnaround. Bu successul schools doshow progress on oher leading indicaors such as increased atendance raes,

reduced discipline problems, or an increase in sudens compleing advanced

coursework. Leading indicaors o school improvemen reveal wheher or no

a schools inervenion sraegy is on arge o increase achievemen and gradu-

aion gains. Leading indicaors should oer imely prognosic daa, simulae

process changes a he school and disric level, be aligned wih and predicive o

oucome daa, and be measurable.19

Tereore, we recommend saes require disrics and schools o rack he ol-

lowing leading indicaors, which derive rom research and lessons learned romsuccessul school urnarounds:20

Suden atendance rae Number and percenage o sudens compleing advanced coursework

(Advanced Placemen/Inernaional Baccalaureae) and/or he number and

percenage o sudens enrolled in dual enrollmen or early college high schools Suden paricipaion rae on sae assessmens in reading/English language ars

and mahemaics, or all sudens and or each suden subgroup Dropou rae Discipline incidens eacher atendance rae Disribuion o eachers by perormance level on a disrics eacher

evaluaion sysem educion in he percenage o sudens in he botom level o achievemen

on sae assessmens in reading/English language ars and mah

Demonsraed progress on a schools leading indicaors should no be conused

wih acual gains in academic achievemen, however. Congress mus ulimaely

hold schools, disrics, and saes accounable or demonsraing growh on coreindicaors, including improved perormance on sae assessmens and increased

graduaion raes. Successul school urnaround should yield resuls on core indica-

ors by year hree o reorm.


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Recmmedai #4: hld all paries accuable r prgress | www.americaprgress.

Tereore, we recommend saes require disrics and schools o rack, a a mini-

mum, he ollowing core academic achievemen indicaors:

Percenage o sudens a or above each prociency level (basic, procien,

advanced) on sae assessmens in reading/English language ars and

mahemaics, by grade and by suden subgroup Progress oward core academic benchmarks as deermined under ESEAs new

accounabiliy sysem including which arges were me and missed Average scale scores on sae assessmens in reading/English language ars and

in mahemaics, by grade, or he all sudens group, or each achievemen

quarile, and or each subgroup Percenage o English language learner sudens who atain English language

prociency on he saes summaive language assessmens Graduaion rae or he all sudens group and or each subgroup College enrollmen rae or he all sudens group and or each subgroup

Such inormaion serves more han a compliance uncion; i provides guid-

ance when a school misses is goal so ha problems are accuraely diagnosed.

Furher, experience has shown ha saes mus be clear in spelling ou repor-

ing requiremens up ron, bu also clear abou wha consequences ollow poor

perormance. Colorado and Louisiana signed memoranda o undersanding

wih sae and disric sa in he SIG program o ensure accounabiliy was

undersood and shared by all.21

Th fral gvrnnt shul hl schls, istricts, an stats

accuntabl fr achiving rsults.

Accounabiliy works bes when i is shared by all paries who play a role in

educaing sudens including schools, disrics, and saes. And he bes accoun-

abiliy sysems recognize posiive oucomes and esablish smar bu air conse-

quences or ailing o improve. As previously noed in his paper, accounabiliy

or urnaround schools should wihin, or be compaible wih, a larger accoun-

abiliy ramework under a new ESEA. Tereore, we recommend ha Congress

consider he ollowing as hey debae how bes o hold paries accounable orimproving schools:


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School accountability. I a urnaround school demonsraes improvemen

based on core academic achievemenwihin hree years, we recommend

disrics reward he school wih anoher wo-year gran. Addiional unds help

a school mainain progress and build susainabiliy so ha i does no all back

ino underperormance.

On he oher hand, i a school ails o demonsrae improvemen in hree years,

saes should require disrics o selec a new inervenion model or o reool

he schools exising model based on a daa-driven needs assessmen.22 Disrics

could also resar he school as a charer school, or close he school indeniely

and ranser all sudens o a higher-perorming school in he area.

District accountability. Saes can hold disrics accounable hrough monior-

ing and oversigh o he urnaround plan, ensuring benchmarks and peror-

mance arges are me in a imely ashion. Ulimaely, a sae should revoke a

disrics se-aside unds, under he urnaround program, i a majoriy o isschools do no make adequae progress.

State accountability. Te ederal governmen should hold saes accounable or

heir role in providing oversigh and guidance o underperorming disrics and

schools. Experience has shown ha saes should clearly ariculae in advance

wha is expeced o urnaround schools in erms o reporing, meeing bench-

marks, and wha consequences ensue when progress is no made.23 Saes ailing

o do so should lose a porion o heir se-aside unds under he urnaround pro-

gram. Furhermore, saes ha lack a srong record o urning around schools

hose in which a majoriy o heir urnaround schools ail o improve aer hree

yearsshould lose an addiional porion o heir se-aside unds unil subsan-

ial improvemen occurs.


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Cclusi | www.americaprgress.

Cnclusin

Chronically low-perorming schools oen, i no always, operae in andem wih

disric, sae, and ederal educaion sysems ha exacerbae school-level prob-

lems. Tereore, i our counry is o educae every child o high levels, hen ederal,

sae, and disric policies mus align o suppor school urnaround. Congress

has a unique opporuniy in his reauhorizaion o ESEA o prioriize sruggling

schools and o oser subsanial, dramaic reorm a every level.

Congress aces a dilemma in reauhorizing ESEA. On one hand, a large percen-age o schools are idenied as low-perorming, and ha proporion is expeced

o grow each year. Policymakers and schools mus ake acion o aver a crisis by

xing he accounabiliy and urnaround sysems accordingly. On he oher hand,

revising a large, complex ederal law such as ESEA will ake srong biparisan

leadership and willingness or members o Congress o work across he aisle. Such

cooperaion has been difcul o muser so ar during he budge debaes o he

112h Congress.

Congress can and mus nd he poliical will o reauhorize ESEA soon, as hard as

i may be o nd biparisanship. In March presiden Obama called on Congress o

revise ederal educaion law by he beginning o he new school year.24 As ambi-

ious as ha imeline may be, i is possible and, more imporanly, necessary. Our

naions sudens deserve o sar school in he all knowing he counry has made

a resh commimen o improving heir schools.


26/28


ennts

1 A rece Educai Secr repr ud a 76.4 perce sclsi resrucurig cse e er majr gverace resrucurigpi. ol 15.9 perce scls cse replace sa. RberMawarig, Resrucurig Resrucurig: Imprvig Ierveisr Lw-Perrmig Scls ad Disrics (Wasig: EducaiSecr, 2010).

2 Jessica Quilla, tile tBA (Wasig: Ceer r AmericaPrgress, 2011).

3 Wie huse, oce e Press Secrear, Remarks b e Presi-de a Miami Ceral hig Scl i Miami, Flrida, Press release,Marc 4, 2011, available a p://www.wieuse.gv/e-press-ce/2011/03/04/remarks-preside-miami-ceral-ig-scl-miami-frida.

4 A exesive surve ud a a majri saes are servig i-creased umbers ig scls rug e SIG prgram. Ceer Educai Plic, Earl Sae Implemeai tile I SclImprveme Gras Uder e R ecver Ac (2011). hwever,we suppr ieial ers esure ig scls receiveurarud udig due e plicies ad pracices a aveisricall verlked ig scls. See Wae Riddle, tile I adhig Scls: Addressig e needs Disadvaaged Sudes aAll Levels (Wasig: Alliace r Excelle Educai, 2011).

5 Kare Bard, turig Arud e nais Lwes-perrmigScls (Wasig: te Ceer r America Prgress, 2011).

6 Mass Isig Educai ad Researc Isiue, Scl ImprvemeGras: take 2 (2010).

7 U.S. Deparme Educai, School Turnaround1 (3) (2010).; Ce-er Educai Plic, Earl Sae Implemeai tile I Scl

Imprveme Gras Uder e Recver Ac.

8 Ceer Educai Plic, Imprvig Lw-Perrmig Scls:Lesss rm Five years Sudig Scl Resrucurig uder nCild Le Beid (2009).

9 U.S. Deparme Educai, Scl turarud: Ceer Educa-i Plic, Earl Sae Implemeai tile I Scl Imprve-me Gras Uder e Recver Ac.

10 Sme reprig requiremes are esseial ad suld bereduced. Suc requiremes iclude, amg ers, reprigcre ad leadig academic idicars as described i is paper.hwever, sme reprig requiremes ma be duplicaive rless esseial imprvig sude perrmace ad access educaial ppruiies. tse requiremes culd be lseedr elimiaed reduce burdes placed lw-perrmig scls.

11 Br Auguse, Paul Ki, ad Ma Miller, Clsig e tale Gap:Aracig ad Reaiig e tp-ird Graduaes Careers iteacig (Wasig: McKise&Cmpa, 2010).

12 Mass Isig Educai ad Researc Isiue, te turarudCallege (2007).

13 William J. Slik, Levers r Cage: Pawas r Sae--DisricAssisace i Uderperrmig Scl Disrics (Wasig:Ceer r America Prgress, 2010).

14 Ceer Educai Plic, Imprvig Lw-perrmig Scls.

15 Slik, Levers r Cage.

16 Mass Isig Educai ad Researc Isiue, Eablig Sclturarud trug Sae Plic (2010).

17 Adam Dlge, Ida Prjec Breaes new Lie I Failig Scls,Education Daily, Jauar 28, 2011, p. 1.

18 Mass Isig Educai ad Researc Isiue, Sae turarudoce: te Fudai a Saewide Scl turarud Sraeg(2010).

19 Mass Isig Educai ad Researc Isiue, Evaluaig Sclturarud: Esablisig Becmarks ad Merics Assess Sclturarud (2010).

20 Cllege Summi, hig Scls as Lauc Pads: hw Cllege-GigCulure Imprves Graduai Raes i Lw-Icme hig Scls(2008); Mass Is ig Educai ad Researc Isiue, Daa rme Field: Dcumeed Gais i turarud Scls (2010); Rae-ge Miller, tales teacer Absece: new Researc yields Paers

a Speak Plicmakers (Wasig: Ceer r AmericaPrgress, 2008).

21 Mass Isig Educai ad Researc Isiue, Scl Imprve-me Gras: take 2.

22 Ibid. See also Ceer Educai Plic, Imprvig Lw-perrmigScls.

23 Mass Isig Educai ad Researc Isiue, Scl ImprvemeGras: take 2.

24 Remarks b e Preside Educai i Arlig, Vir-giia Marc 14, 2011. p://www.wieuse.gv/e-press-ce/2011/03/14/remarks-preside-educai-arlig-virgiia.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/04/remarks-president-miami-central-high-school-miami-floridahttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/04/remarks-president-miami-central-high-school-miami-floridahttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/04/remarks-president-miami-central-high-school-miami-floridahttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/14/remarks-president-education-arlington-virginiahttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/14/remarks-president-education-arlington-virginiahttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/14/remarks-president-education-arlington-virginiahttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/14/remarks-president-education-arlington-virginiahttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/04/remarks-president-miami-central-high-school-miami-floridahttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/04/remarks-president-miami-central-high-school-miami-floridahttp://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/03/04/remarks-president-miami-central-high-school-miami-florida


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Abu e aurs ad ack wledgemes | www.americaprgress.

Abut th authrs

Jeremy Ayers is a Senior Educaion Policy analys a he Cener or American

Progress where he ocuses on advancing he Ceners ederal policy agenda,

including issues o eacher and principal eeciveness, school improvemen, and

scal equiy. Prior o joining he Cener, Ayers was a classroom eacher and beoreha a policy analys or he Alliance or Excellen Educaion, a naional high

school reorm organizaion. He holds a masers degree rom Duke Universiy and

a bachelor o ars rom McMurry Universiy in his home sae o exas.

Melissa Lazarn is an independen educaional consulan. She is he ormer asso-

ciae direcor o educaion policy a he Cener or American Progress. Prior o

joining he Cener, she served as direcor o educaion policy a Firs Focus and as

associae direcor o educaion policy a he Naional Council o La aza.

Acknwlgnts

Te auhors wish o hank he Cener or American Progress sa who conribued

o he wriing o his repor, paricularly Saba Bireda.


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The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute

dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity

for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to

these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values.

We work to find progressive and pragmatic solutions to significant domestic and

international problems and develop policy proposals that foster a government that

is of the people, by the people, and for the people.

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