• April 2010

Turning Around the Nation’sLowest-Performing Schools Five Steps Districts Can Take February 4, 2011

Who we are

LA Unified School District

Oakland Unified School District

SaintPaul

PublicSchools

ChicagoPublic

Schools

CincinnatiPublic

Schools

AtlantaPublic

Schools

SchoolDistrict of

Philadelphia

Prince GeorgesCounty Public

Schools

AlbuquerquePublic

Schools

NYCDept. of

Education

Syracuse City

School District

RochesterCity

SchoolDistrict

BostonPublic

Schools

ProvidencePublic Schools

BaltimoreCity Public

Schools

D.C.Public

Schools

Charlotte-MecklenbergPublic Schools

Duval CountyPublic

SchoolsFLEducation Resource Strategies is a non-profit that partners with

urban districts to change the way people, time, and money are used so that all students receive the support they need to succeed.

3

Barriers to successful school improvement

at scale

“One size fits all”programs

Support layered on top ofbroken structures

Temporary fixes thatdon’t improve the system

7

Five steps to sustainable

and scalable success

Understand whateach school needs

• Student needs• Teacher and

leader capacity

Step 1

Quantity of staff = Quality

1st Quintile 2nd Quintile 3rd Quintile 4th Quintile 5th Quintile0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Perc

ent o

f Tea

cher

s Ra

ted

4 or

5

Lowest Performing

Schools

Highest Performing Schools

School Performance Continuum

40%

50% 58%51%

73%

73%

Understand whateach school needs

• Student needs• Teacher and

leader capacity• School practices

and conditions

Step 1

Understand whateach school gets

• Current funding

Step 2

$0

$5,000

$10,000

$15,000

Incremental Turnaround Funding

Source: Turnaround Schools: District Strategies for Success and Sustainability. Education Resource Strategies (2010)

Turnaround funding doesn’t overcome underlying

variation

Understand whateach school gets

• Current funding• Use of talent, time

and technology

Step 2

• EFFECTIVE TEACHING TEAMS with complementary skills, and time to collaborate with experts around student data and work

• ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL TIME especially in core academic subjects, for struggling students

• TARGETED INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION including reduced class sizes in key subjects and grades and flexible schedules and grouping structures

Strategic School Design Practices

Are schools making the most of people, time and

money?

Math ELA0

20

40

60

80

100

67 6885 84

Turnaround Schools Non-turnaround Schools

Invest in the most important changes first

MISSION CRITICAL• Strong leaders and

expert teachers• Help for at-risk

studentsSECOND TIER• School designs driven

by student needs• Resources and supportLOW LEVERAGE• Standalone programs• Across the board class

size reductions

Step 3

Customize the strategyto the school

• Match approach to school needs and conditions

• Federal intervention strategies

Step 4

Change the districtnot just the school

• Lessons learned from turnaround schools

• Ongoing funding levels adequate to meet student needs

• Teacher and school leader capacity

• Flexibility to adapt schedules and structures

• Ongoing central office support

Step 5

Barriers

“One size fits all” programs

Support layered on top of broken structures

Temporary fixes that don’tImprove the system

Five steps to sustainableand scalable success

1 Understand what each school needs

2 Understand what each school gets

3 Invest in the most important changes first

4 Customize the strategy to the school

5 Change the district, not just the school

Summary