Description
This presentation explain school turnarounds actions and results.
School
Turnarounds
Actions and Results
Center on
Innovation &
Improvement
Twin paths to better schools.
SCHOOL
TURNAROUNDS
Actions and Results
Prepared by Dana Brinson, Julie Kowal and Bryan C. Hassel of
Public Impact for the Center on Innovation & Improvement.
Lauren Morando Rhim and Eli Valsing also contributed.
Information ?
Tools ? Training
Positive results for students will come from changes in the knowledge, skill, and behavior of their
teachers and parents. State policies and programs must provide the opportunity, support, incentive, and
expectation for adults close to the lives of children to make wise decisions.
The Center on Innovation & Improvement helps regional comprehensive centers in their work with
states to provide districts, schools, and families with the opportunity, information, and skills to make wise
decisions on behalf of students.
A national content center supported by the
U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Award #S283B050057
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position of the supporting agencies,
and no official endorsement should be inferred.
© 2008 Public Impact, Academic Development Institute. All rights reserved.
Design: Pam Sheley
TABLE OF CONTENTS??
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 3
Turnaround Leader Action Table................................................................................................. 6
Initial Analysis and Problem Solving............................................................................................ 9
Collect and Analyze Data........................................................................................................................... 9
Make Action Plan Based on Data............................................................................................................ 10
Driving for Results........................................................................................................................... 11
Concentrate on Big, Fast Payoffs............................................................................................................ 11
Implement Practices Even If They Require Deviation...................................................................... 12
Require All Staff to Change...................................................................................................................... 14
Make Necessary Staff Replacements...................................................................................................... 14
Focus on Successful Tactics...................................................................................................................... 15
Do Not Tout Progress as Ultimate Success........................................................................................ 15
Influencing Inside and Outside the Organization...................................................................... 17
Communicate a Positive Vision............................................................................................................... 17
Help Staff Personally Feel Problems....................................................................................................... 18
Gain Support of Key Influencers............................................................................................................ 18
Measuring, Reporting (and Improving)....................................................................................... 21
Measure and Report Progress Frequently........................................................................................... 21
Require All Decision Makers to Share Data and Problem Solve................................................. 22
Annotated Bibliography................................................................................................................. 25
?
Actions and Results
INTRODUCTION
Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), schools
that fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for five
consecutive years must engage in “restructuring” to improve student learning. Under the law, districts can:
1. reopen the school as a public charter school;
2. replace all or most of the school staff, which may
include the principal;
3. contract with an outside entity to operate the school;
4. turn the operation of the school over to the state
educational agency; or
5. engage in another form of major restructuring that
makes fundamental reforms.
Each of these restructuring options is intended to
usher in a significant shift in how the school is governed.
But three - reopening as a charter school, contracting with
an external management organization, and state takeover
- are seldom attempted. Some states do not have charter
school laws, and other states have restrictive laws that
make creation of a charter school difficult. Similarly, some states do not
allow state takeover of school, and
What must happen for a turnaround
the experience with state takeover
to succeed? What actions must the
is limited and unimpressive. School
new leader take to get results?
districts also are reluctant to admit
their own failure with the schools by
choosing one of these three options.
During the 2005-06 school year (the most recent national data available) approximately 600 schools entered
3
School Turnarounds
the final stage of restructuring. Most disarise from the actions in order for student
tricts used “mild” interventions in these
learning to improve?
schools - the fifth “other” option - rather
In 2007, the Center on Innovation
than the stronger interventions - such as
and Improvement published School Turnreplacing a leader or staff. Even among
arounds: A Review of the Cross-sector
districts that use stronger interventions
Evidence on Dramatic Organizational
in 2006, 42 percent appointed an outside
Improvement2 that identified fourteen
expert to advise the school; 24 percent exleader actions associated with successful
tended the school day or year; 14 percent
turnarounds in the business, nonprofit,
“restructured the internal organization of
government,
the school.” Only
and education
14 percent of all
sectors. School
This report provides descriptive, realrestructuring
Turnarounds
world vignettes that illustrate the actions
schools in 2005
provides a strong
that successful school leaders have taken
replaced a signifioverview of the
cant portion of
to turn around low-performing schools.
recurrent leader
the school’s staff,
actions across
and almost no
these sectors and
districts invited
a handful of illustrative examples.
private firms or state agencies to take over
restructuring schools or reopened the
While School Turnarounds provides
school as a charter school.1
a useful conceptual framework of leader
actions, education leaders are also eager
Guidance from the U.S. Department
for compelling examples of how those
of Education in 2006 on districts’ use
actions have played out in actual school
of the “other” category made clear that
turnarounds. As a result, this report
states and districts need more direction
provides descriptive, real-world vignettes
in choosing this option, as it was typithat illustrate for practitioners the actions
cally chosen as a means of avoiding more
that successful school leaders have taken
dramatic change. The staff and leader
to turn around low-performing schools.
replacement option - defined here as
This resource tool begins by identifying
a school turnaround - has been largely
and explaining the fourteen leader actions
underused and recently sparked much
associated with a successful turnaround.
national interest.
Next, descriptive vignettes are provided to
The education literature on turnillustrate each leader action. These viarounds is sparse. If districts choose
gnettes were drawn from case studies docturnaround as a restructuring option they
umenting successful turnarounds. Some
should not expect that they will get results
vignettes relate to more than one action
by merely replacing the school leader.
and are thus repeated where they apply.
What then must happen in a turnaround
For instance, Mullen & Patrick’s 2000
situation for it to succeed? What actions
case study of one of Alabama’s lowestdoes the new leader take that get results?
performing schools provides a particularly
What is the linkage between leader acpoignant story of one school’s turnaround,
tions and effective practices that must
including details about the strategies that
the principal used to dramatically increase
4
Actions and Results
student performance. More information
about this and the other case studies from
which the vignettes were drawn appear in
an annotated bibliography, beginning on
page 23.
after their first year. Turnarounds deemed
(initially) successful by the researchers
were those in which the schools made
Adequate Yearly Progress – a status that
none of the ten had achieved for three
years prior to the turnaround attempts.
These schools may or may not be turnaround success stories in the long-term.
All that can be said is that the vignettes
captured here are from school turnarounds deemed successful by researchers at the time of their studies. Over time,
as experience and research accumulates,
it will be possible to zero in on stories of
school turnarounds that were sustained
over time.
One important caveat is in order
about the definition of “successful turnaround.” Ideally, a school turnaround
would generate substantial gains in student learning in year one that were then
sustained over time. In the literature
reviewed here, however, case studies often
were not able to take such a long term
view. The Duke et al. (2005) study, for
example, examined 10 turnaround efforts
5
School Turnarounds
Turnaround Leader Actions Table
Turnaround Leader Action
What It Means
Initial Analysis and Problem Solving
Collect & Analyze Data
Initially, turnaround leaders personally analyze data
about the organization’s performance to identify highpriority problems that can be fixed quickly. Later, they
establish organization routines that include ongoing
data analysis (see Measure and Report below).
Make Action Plan Based on Turnaround leaders make an action plan so that
Data
everyone involved knows specifically what they need to
do differently. This allows people to focus on changing
what they do, rather than worrying about impending
change.
Driving for Results
Concentrate on Big, Fast
Successful turnaround leaders first concentrate on a very
Payoffs in Year One
limited number of changes to achieve early, visible wins
for the organization. They do this to achieve success in
an important area, to motivate staff for further change,
and to reduce resistance by those who oppose change.
Implement Practices Even Turnaround leaders make changes that deviate from
if Require Deviation
organization norms or rules – not just for change’s sake,
but to achieve early wins. In a failing organization,
existing norms and rules often contribute to failure.
Targeted deviations to achieve early wins teach the
organization that new practices can lead to success.
Require All Staff to Change When a turnaround leader implements an action plan,
change is mandatory, not optional.
Make Necessary Staff
Successful turnaround leaders typically do not replace
Replacements
all or most staff. But they often replace some senior
staff, particularly those who manage others. After
the organization begins to show turnaround success,
staff unwilling or unable to make changes that their
colleagues have made leave or are removed by the
leader.
Focus on Successful
Successful turnaround leaders are quick to discard
Tactics; Halt Others
tactics that do not work and spend more resources and
time on tactics that work. This pruning and growing
process focuses limited time and money where they will
have the most impact on critical results.
6
Actions and Results
Turnaround Leader Action
Do Not Tout Progress as
Ultimate Success
What It Means
Turnaround leaders are not satisfied with partial
success. They report progress, but keep the organization
focused on high goals. When a goal is met, they are
likely to raise the bar.
Influencing Inside and Outside the Organization
Communicate a Positive
Turnaround leaders motivate others inside and outside
Vision
the organization to contribute their discretionary effort
by communicating a clear picture of success and its
benefits.
Help Staff Personally Feel Turnaround leaders use various tactics to help staff
Problems
empathize with – or “put themselves in the shoes
of” – those whom they serve. This helps staff feel
the problems that the status quo is causing and feel
motivated to change.
Gain Support of Key
Turnaround leaders work hard to gain the support of
Influencers
trusted influencers among staff and community. They
work through these people to influence those who might
oppose change.
Silence Critics with Speedy Early, visible wins are used not just for success in
Success
their own right, but to make it harder for others to
oppose further change. This reduces leader time spent
addressing “politics” and increases time spent managing
for results.
Measuring, Reporting (and Improving)
Measure and Report
Turnaround leaders set up systems to measure and
Progress Frequently
report interim results often. This enables the rapid
discard of failed tactics and increase of successful tactics
essential for fast results.
Require all Decision
Sharing of results in open-air meetings allows
Makers to Share Data
turnaround leaders to hold staff who make key decisions
and Problem Solve
accountable for results, creating discomfort for those
who do not make needed changes and providing kudos
to those who are achieving success. This shifts the
focus of the organization’s meetings from power plays,
blaming, and excuses to problem solving.
7
School Turnarounds
8
Actions and Results
Initial Analysis and
Problem Solving
Collect and analyze data
Initially, turnaround leaders personally analyze data
about the organization’s performance to identify high-priority problems that can be fixed quickly. Later, they establish organization routines that include ongoing data analysis (see Measure and Report).
Ross Swearingen, principal at Brentwood Elementary
School in Victorville, California conducted 600 informal
teacher observations in a single school year. The focus of
his observations were items such as students on tasks and
standards and strategies implemented. He tracked his observations on a hand-held computer (Almanzan, 2005).
Another principal explained
his start at a new school: “I started
identifying the needs of the school by
Turnaround leaders personally
visiting the building in order to take
analyze data about the organization’s
an inventory of available resources
performance to identify high-priority
and look at the physical plant itself.
problems that can be fixed quickly.
Then I met with individual teachers, and we examined test scores and
other achievement data, discipline
data, and attendance data. Together, we faced the ‘brutal
facts’ of what was working and what was not” (Duke et al.
2005, p. 10).
9
School Turnarounds
Lynne Patrick, principal of the lowest perAt Alcester-Hudson Elementary in
forming elementary school in Alabama,
rural South Dakota, “teachers grew so
“jokes that she had to become ‘a morning
adept at using data that they were able
person’ so that each child could be greeted
to use formative assessments to monitor
at the front door. On her notepad she
each student’s learning in relation to state
records who needs help, with whom she
and district content standards. Midway
needs to consult, and about what issues.
through the 2003–2004 school year, the
Lynne makes use of this ritual to collect
McREL consultants asked the staff to use
data to identify
formative asspecific physisessment data
cal and emoto predict perTurnaround leaders make an action
tional needs…
formance on the
plan so that everyone involved knows
Lynne also uses
upcoming state
specifically
what
they
need
to
do
this time to
test. The teachdifferently.
reinforce posiers predicted
tive thinking,
that student
the readiness to
scores would
learn, and the
decline; they
children’s trust that she will work on their
believed that as teachers they may have let
behalf” (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, p. 244).
up on some of the efforts that had led to
their initial success in 2002. This predicMake action plan based on data
tion energized the teachers to recommit
Turnaround leaders make an action
to their shared agreements, and in 2004,
plan so that everyone involved knows spestudent scores on the state math and
cifically what they need to do differently.
reading tests again showed improvement”
This allows people to focus on changing
(Galvin and Parsley, 2005, p. 3).
what they do, rather than worrying about
impending change.
Principal Patrick in Alabama formed
a faculty governance committee that
At one school, the principal instituted
worked with the state department assisnew benchmark tests and set aside time
tance teams to develop their data analyevery nine weeks to carefully review the
sis skills. The teachers, through a series
results with his faculty. “I have a notebook
of workshops, became comfortable with
with the name of every student and how
interpreting student performance on the
well he or she did on each test. I colorSAT-9 and developing individual plans for
code the students so I can quickly identify
student academic development. Principal
the ones that need a little improvement
Patrick also used the SAT–9 results to
and the ones that need a lot of help in
decide which academic areas to focus on
order to pass the state tests. My teachers
each year. This enabled her to concentrate
and I spend a lot of time identifying which
on one problem at once—for example,
items were missed most frequently on the
reading in her first year at the school—and
tests and figuring out how to reteach the
working on other areas over time (Mullen
material before May” (Duke et al., 2005,
& Patrick, 2000).
p.16).
10
Actions and Results
Driving for Results
Concentrate on big, fast payoffs in year one, and
silence critics with speedy success
Successful turnaround leaders first concentrate on a
very limited number of changes to achieve early, visible
wins for the organization. They do this to achieve success in
an important area, to motivate staff for further change, and
to reduce resistance by those who oppose change. Silencing
critics with quick, visible results reduces leader time spent
addressing “politics” and increases time spent managing
for results.
Rather than designing a comprehensive improvement
plan to fix everything at once, “the leadership team at Alcester-Hudson used data to focus on one problem at a time.
For example, teachers in the primary grades jointly agreed
on specific minimum test scores in reading comprehension
(using the Developmental Reading Assessment to measure
reading) as achievement targets for
all students at each grade level. After
Successful turnaround leaders first
a year of consistently focusing on
instructional goals and discussing
concentrate on a very limited number
student achievement, the teachers
of changes to achieve early, visible
were gratified (but not surprised) to
wins for the organization.
see scores on the state standardized
tests rise significantly. With these
‘quick wins’ under their belts, the
teachers consulted the data again, derived a new focus for
their improvement efforts, and consulted the research for
11
School Turnarounds
guidance about next steps” (Galvin and
Parsley, 2005, p. 4).
Principal Patrick “had the hallway floors
professionally stripped and cleaned to
eliminate the bad odor. Church volunteers
repainted the red-and-purple hallways
Principal Patrick in Alabama used
sage green and off-white, soothing colors.
results from state standardized tests to
Exterminators sprayed the school and
decide which academic areas to focus on
remained on coneach year. This
tract.” Following
enabled her to
these changes,
concentrate on
the children beTurnaround leaders make changes
one problem area
gan to take pride
that deviate from organization norms
at a time—for
in their building,
or rules.
example, reading
and there has
in her first year
been a marked
at the school—
decrease in grafand adding other
fiti and littering (Mullen & Patrick 2000,
subjects over time. This focus may have
pp. 238-39).
contributed to its academic successes, as
the school moved from recognition as the
lowest performing school in the district
One principal noted, “I was deterto the most improved (Mullen & Patrick,
mined to get [the facility] fixed up before
2000).
students and staff arrived in August. I
met with the custodial staff and central
office administrators to understand who
Another principal explained: “After
was in charge of supervision and put a
hearing several times from parents that it
plan in place to get the school clean. I
takes too long to drop off and pick up their
worked with the Parks and Recreation
children, I worked with the traffic moniDepartment to ensure that the gym and
tors to speed up the process. I attacked
playground areas were left clean when
similar problems with cafeteria lines,
the town used our facilities” (Duke et al.
unloading the buses, and accounting for
2005, p. 21).
students’ lunch payments. Although these
are small problems, fixing them makes the
whole school day more efficient and pays
Students at another school began
off in more satisfied parents” (Duke et al.
walking in the hallways with their arms
2005, p. 23).
folded. This simple rule helped prevent
behavior problems before they started and
created a more conducive environment for
Principal Patrick focused on providing
teaching and learning (Charles A. Dana
a warm, inviting atmosphere for students
Center, 1999, p. 12).
and school visitors when she took over the
Implement practices even if they
lowest-performing elementary school in
require deviation
Alabama. This was a difficult task because
on her first day at the school she poured
Turnaround leaders make changes
a roach out of her soft drink can and the
that deviate from organization norms or
stench in the hallways was overwhelming.
rules—not just for change’s sake, but to
12
Actions and Results
achieve early wins. In a failing organization, existing norms and rules often contribute to failure. Targeted deviations to
achieve early wins teach the organization
that new practices can lead to success.
had one 75-minute period every day for
electives instead of two 52-minute elective
periods. Because each grade level goes to
its elective block at a different time during
the day, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders
are never in the halls at the same time. In
addition, there are no bells. At designated
times, teachers walk their students to
their elective classes. After electives, the
elective teachers walk students back to
their teams” (Duke et al., 2005, p. 58).
One principal experienced significant
problems with the computer-based benchmark testing program in his district. Instead of waiting for the district to resolve
the technological glitches, he insisted
instead that the school use a paper-andpencil test until the problems could be
resolved. This allowed school staff to administer and correct the tests themselves,
and to analyze and use results much more
quickly (Duke et al., 2005).
Principal Patrick realized that her
students would benefit, academically and
socially, from the supports provided by
year-round schooling. She prepared a case
for changing the school year by surveying “key stakeholders about their views
on year-round schooling—ranging from
One principal explained that “our
the students to guardians, churches, and
human resources were not focused on the
community organizations (e.g., YMCA).”
needs of the students. Our instructional
Through this process, she identified an
assistants typically left school at 2:30
organization—the Boys and Girls Club
p.m., and our teachers at 3:00. Since we
of America—for the students to attend
have a late bus
during the new
that leaves at 3:30
breaks created by
p.m., I worked
the year-round
Targeted deviations to achieve early
with central office
calendar. Prinwins teach the organization that new
to extend teacher
cipal Patrick
and instructional
practices can lead to success.
and the faculty
assistant hours so
research team
that, when stuanalyzed the surdents need extra
vey results, and
help, we would have adult resources on
finding that all stakeholders supported the
hand after school” (Duke et al., 2005, p.
move, presented the data to the board of
23).
education. When she first presented the
case to the school board, “one member at
the meeting argued that parents did not
Though his request to the district was
want to be on the year-round schooling
declined, one principal nonetheless made
calendar because it interferes with church
significant adjustments to the school-day
and vacation. The principal responded,
schedule in order to reduce the number of
‘But did you talk to the parents of my
discipline problems that were interruptschool?’ to which the person replied, ‘No.’”
ing students’ learning. “We blocked the
Principal Patrick reminded the school
elective courses so that each grade level
13
School Turnarounds
board members that she had surveyed the
parents and community members working
with her school, and that they supported
the change. “The request for the support
of year-round schooling for her school
was approved, despite opposition and the
recent failure of a nearby White-majority
district to win its own case.” (Mullen &
Patrick, 2000, pp. 247-8).
pointments, conduct anger management
classes, and help parents apply for Medicaid and Kids First insurance. They also
helped involve parents in their children’s
learning and problems as well as encouraged parents to become involved in the
school on parent boards and as classroom
volunteers (Mullen & Patrick, 2000).
Require all staff to change
When a turnaround leader implements an action plan, change is mandatory, not optional.
Lynn Patrick, principal at the then
lowest-achieving elementary school in
Alabama sought “solutions that match[ed]
the actual needs of the children—regardPrincipal Lynne Patrick focused
less of how unconventional or extreme the
her teachers on creating better learnsolutions may [have seemed] to outsiding conditions
ers.” In one case,
through “student
principal Patrick
supervision,
responded to a
When a turnaround leader
regular school
situation in her
attendance, and
implements an action plan, change is
school where a
respect for all
10-year-old girl
mandatory, not optional.
children.” Lynne
believed she was
guided facpregnant and
ulty governance
did not know
committees to create faculty handbooks
who the father was by instituting a sexual
that outlined the procedures necessary
abstinence and STD education program
to create these conditions. Through these
for selected students who were sexually
handbooks and the principal’s guidance,
active or at risk of becoming so (Mullen &
for example, student supervision became
Patrick, 2000, p. 237).
a “high priority because some teachers
would leave their classes without anPrincipal Lynn Patrick noticed that
other adult present. The principal worked
many of her students’ parents lacked
against what she believed to be an unstattelephones or transportation to take their
ed philosophy for most of the teachers: It
children to health appointments she had
was easier to tolerate bad behavior than
been arranging. To ensure that her stuit was to teach the students” (Mullen &
dents were healthy—and could thus take
Patrick, 2000, pp. 240-41).
greater advantage of their education—the
Make necessary staff replacements
principal wrote grants to hire a nurse and
Successful turnaround leaders typicala social worker full time. These new hires
ly
do
not replace all or most staff. But they
were able to: dispense medicine, treat
often replace some senior staff, particuinjuries, make home calls on children who
larly those who manage others. After the
stayed home sick, schedule health aporganization begins to show turnaround
14
Actions and Results
success, staff unwilling or unable to make
changes that their colleagues have made
leave or are removed by the leader.
students’ overall health and well being
and prepared them to tackle their academic work (Mullen & Patrick, 2000).
Do not tout progress as ultimate
success
Turnaround leaders are not satisfied
with partial success. They report progress,
but keep the organization focused on high
goals. When a goal is met, they are likely
to raise the bar.
Early in Principal Patrick’s tenure,
forty percent of the staff changed at her
encouragement. “Four teachers were
transferred to other schools, two resigned,
and two retired, which resulted in a major staff turnover in a short time. Those
teachers who were transferred understood
curriculum and instruction, but they
were ‘burned out’ from trying to meet the
heavy demands of this school, so [Patrick]
worked with the human resource department to transfer them to other schools.
Several of the untenured teachers whose
actions toward the children were harmful
were ‘nonrenewed.’” These staff changes
“set the tone for a highly committed staff
that makes decisions to benefit the children” (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, p. 243).
At Alcester-Hudson Elementary in rural South Dakota, faculty were not content
to rest after achieving some initial success.
“After a year of consistently focusing on
instructional goals and discussing student
achievement, the teachers were gratified
(but not surprised) to see scores on the
state standardized tests rise significantly.
With these ‘quick wins’ under their belts,
the teachers consulted the data again, derived a new focus for their improvement
efforts, and consulted the research for
guidance about next steps” (Galvin and
Parsley, 2005, p. 4).
Focus on successful tactics; halt
others
Successful turnaround leaders are
quick to discard tactics that do not work
and spend more resources and time on
tactics that work. This pruning and growing process focuses limited time and
money where they will have the most
impact on critical results.
Principal Patrick chose to bring in or
make available several programs that met
the varied needs of her specific students.
These programs, such as the sexual abstinence and self-restraint program, anger
management program, Saturday school
for academically strong students, summer
school for children who need extra academic and social support, the Read Aloud
program, and Peace Works, supported
15
School Turnarounds
16
Actions and Results
Influencing Inside
and Outside the
Organization
Communicate a positive vision
Turnaround leaders motivate others inside and outside
the organization to contribute their discretionary effort by
communicating a clear picture of success and its benefits.
The school administration at Burke High School in
Boston didn’t wait until the entire school improved their
basic test scores before making the program more rigorous
and offering classes that challenged the higher-performing
students. Rather, they sought to change the norms under
which Burke High School had been operating. Offering calculus before most students improved their basic math skills
advertised different expectations about what school leaders
believed their students were capable of and what courses
were appropriate for a poor, urban school. This positive
vision looked beyond the current situation where Algebra I
was the highest math course offered and ahead to the day
just a few years later when 21 seniors graduated with a year
of calculus (Werkema and Case,
2005).
Turnaround leaders motivate others
Principal Denise Peterson of
by communicating a clear picture of
Colin Powell Academy in Long
success.
Beach, California told her staff
that the prevailing feeling among
teachers that their students had it
so tough at home that they could not push them too hard at
school would only perpetuate the cycle of poverty and rac17
School Turnarounds
Gain support of key influencers
Turnaround leaders work hard to gain
the support of trusted influencers among
staff and community. They work through
these people to influence those who might
oppose change.
ism. “Once teachers began to hold their
students to high academic expectations
(while still providing necessary support),
student achievement improved remarkably and continued to improve every year”
(Almanzan, 2005, p. 2).
Principal Patrick sought to encourDenise Peterson at Colin Powell Acadage pride in Black heritage and school
emy, seeking to develop stronger relationachievement among her entirely Black
ships with students and their parents,
student population. To promote readdrove to school bus stops to check in with
ing, the “Banana
students, walked
Reading Tree”
home with kids
displayed the
who lived in
Turnaround leaders help staff
names of authors
local neighborand their books
members put themselves in the shoes
hoods, and got
on each banana
to know parents.
of the students they serve.
leaf. Student
These personal
reading responsrelationships
es accompany
allowed her to
each book. Pride of Black heritage was
deal with any discipline problems before
promoted, in one way, through pictures
they became bigger issues. Her presence
of African American leaders being promiin the community even improved student
nently displayed throughout the school
behavior at local businesses after school,
(Mullen & Patrick, 2000).
because kids knew she might be around.
This improvement did not go unnoticed
by local merchants who began to call the
principal instead of the police if there was
a problem with the students (Almanzan,
2005).
Help staff personally feel problems
Turnaround leaders use various tactics to help staff empathize with – or “put
themselves in the shoes of” – those whom
they serve. This helps staff feel the problems that the status quo is causing and
feel motivated to change.
Principal Patrick worked hard to
counter the teachers who said the students thought she was weak and ineffectual because she didn’t “yell and paddle.”
Principal Patrick strove to treat everyone
with respect and sought to build “trust
with the children by visiting their homes
and driving them home whenever they felt
threatened, by talking with them about
their problems and following through
with solutions, and by showing that she
was someone they could depend on.” It
Principal Lynda Christian of Horace
Mann Elementary School in Glendale,
California memorably told her teachers to
look at their class rolls and let her know
personally if there were any children on
the lists that they were not capable of
teaching (Almanzan, 2005).
18
Actions and Results
took some time, over a year, but students
learned to communicate their problems
effectively and to trust the adults in their
school (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, pp.
239-40).
aged parents to become involved in the
school on parent boards and as classroom
volunteers (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, p.
242).
Principal Patrick realized that her
students would benefit, academically and
socially, from the supports provided by
year-round schooling. She prepared a
case for changing the school year surveying key stakeholders about their views
on year-round schooling—ranging from
the students to guardians, churches, and
community organizations (e.g., YMCA).”
Through this process, she identified an
organization—the Boys and Girls Club of
America—for the students to attend during the new breaks created by the yearround calendar. Principal Patrick and the
faculty research team analyzed the survey
results, and finding that all stakeholders
supported the move, presented the data
to the board of education. “The request
for the support of year-round schooling
for her school was approved, despite opposition and the recent failure of a nearby
White-majority district to win its own
case” (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, p. 247).
Principal Lynne Patrick recognized
the importance of school-community
partnerships to serve the whole child.
She sought out church partners to be
involved in the school turnaround, and
eight churches adopted the school as part
of a local church program called Strategies
to Elevate People (S.T.E.P.) Foundation.
Church volunteers repainted the hallways at the beginning of the school year
and “donated teddy bears for the ‘reading buddy’ program, computers for the
advanced grade levels, and funds for the
major clean-up of the school and other
projects. They continue to provide for the
‘clothing closet’ and such learning incentives as the annual riverboat cruise for the
sixth grade graduating class” (Mullen &
Patrick, 2000, p. 242).
Principal Lynn Patrick noticed that
many of her students’ parents lacked
telephones or transportation to take their
children to health appointments she had
been arranging. To ensure that her students were healthy—and could thus take
greater advantage of their education—the
principal wrote grants to hire a nurse and
a social worker full time. These new hires
were able to: dispense medicine, treat
injuries, make home calls on children who
stayed home sick, schedule health appointments, conduct anger management
classes, and help parents apply for Medicaid and Kids First insurance. They also
helped involve parents in their children’s
learning and problems as well as encour-
Burke High School had gone from
being a school praised for its successes
in 1990 to becoming the only New England school to lose its accreditation in the
entire century only five years later. This
was a direct result of the student population increasing by 50%, the administrative budget being slashed by 50%, and
the teacher budgeting being cut by a third
over that period. In order to rally political
will to help improve the school, the headmaster gathered parents, and they came
up with a list of 45 demands to the district. Parents threatened the district with a
19
School Turnarounds
civil rights lawsuit claiming unequal treatment, and the headmaster pushed the new
superintendent—not yet on the job and
embroiled in the politics—to support extra
money going into the school and reducing enrollment. It worked; the district
doubled the school’s budget and the headmaster, Dr. Leonard, was able to bring
on teachers and administrators prepared
to turn the school around (Werkema and
Case, 2005).
are small problems, fixing them makes the
whole school day more efficient and pays
off in more satisfied parents (Duke et al.
2005, p. 23).
Northeastern University faced falling
enrollments in the late 80s that forced
the new university president, John A.
Curry, to restructure the entire budget
and adjust to a lower enrollment target.
This reduction necessitated administrative and faculty cuts. The president and
board of directors relied on a joint faculty
committee to recommend cuts—in budget items and positions in administration
and faculty. Bringing the faculty on board
for such tough decision making helped
ameliorate the political costs of cutting so
many positions and helped the faculty see
the problems the university faced firsthand (Paul, 2005).
Another principal explained: “After
hearing several times from parents that it
takes too long to drop off and pick up their
children, I worked with the traffic monitors to speed up the process. I attacked
similar problems with cafeteria lines,
unloading the buses, and accounting for
students’ lunch payments. Although these
Turnaround leaders work to gain the
support of trusted staff and community
members to influence others who might
oppose change.
20
Actions and Results
Measuring, Reporting
(and Improving)
Measure and report progress frequently
Turnaround leaders set up systems to measure and report interim results often. This enables the rapid discard of
failed tactics and increase of successful tactics essential for
fast results.
One principal made a habit of publishing student performance data on weekly benchmarks at the start of every
week. “Now my teachers expect it at the start of every week.
For example, I was at a conference at the beginning of one
week and didn’t have an opportunity to publish the data.
When I returned to school, they all asked, ‘Where’s the
data?’ They already had a copy of their own data, but they
wanted to see the whole picture. Many teachers have begun
to share the data with their students. They track the data in
the classroom so that the kids know how well they are doing” (Duke et al., 2005, p. 12).
“Early on in the improvement
process, the staff at Alcester-Hudson
Turnaround leaders set up systems to
learned the cycle of school improvemeasure and report interim results
ment: Study data, form hypotheses,
often.
plan and implement changes in
instruction, reallocate resources,
and remeasure to determine changes
in student learning….Data also became a vehicle for noting success and celebrating the achievements of the staff.
21
School Turnarounds
Today, instruction in the school revolves
around data” (Galvin and Parsley, 2005,
p. 3).
ning time. The principal obtained permission from the county to grant 45 minutes
of additional contract time to make the
arrangement possible (Duke et al., 2005,
p. 50).
Require all decision makers to share
data and problem solve
Sharing of results in open-air meetAt Alcester-Hudson Elementary, a
ings allows turnaround leaders to hold
rural school in South Dakota, “the teachstaff who make key decisions accountable
ers developed … “Working Wednesdays.”
for results, creating discomfort for those
During this
who do not make
uninterrupted
needed changes
Sharing
results
in
open-air
meetings
two hour block
and providing
shifts the focus from power plays,
of time, classkudos to those
room, special
who are achievblaming and excuses to accountability
education, and
ing success. This
and problem solving.
Title I teachers
shifts the focus
met as a whole
of the organizagroup to discuss
tion’s meetings
instructional strategies and the needs of
from power plays, blaming, and excuses to
individual students. Working Wednesdays
problem solving.
played a significant role in making teachers aware of their own attitudes about stuOne principal instituted weekly gradedent learning. As teachers saw how others
level meetings. Each week his teachers
used strategies successfully, they became
generated tests in science, social studies,
more aware of the learning potential of
math, and reading, and compiled data
all students. At the beginning of the work,
sheets showing the results of the previous
we often heard teachers attribute student
week’s tests. The teachers used this data
achievement to factors in the home envias the foundation for the team planning
ronment or participation in special profor the upcoming week. “We examine item
grams. As teachers shared strategies and
analysis and standards of learning strand
proposed new ideas to get students “off
reports for individual children. As a team,
the list,” such comments became less frewe work to determine why individual
quent. Instead, conversations focused on
children are not doing well on particular
changes that teachers could make in their
items” (Duke et al., 2005, p. 11).
instruction” (Galvin and Parsley, 2005, p. 4).
Teachers at another school meet for
one hour with the principal every week for
a “targeted data in-service,” and gather
for an hour with their colleagues four days
each week to problem-solve in their content areas. Three or four times per month
the principal hosts targeted professional
development programs during team plan-
At Alcester-Hudson Elementary in
rural South Dakota, “the leadership team
proposed a number of ‘shared agreements,’ which various groups of teachers
discussed and in most cases accepted,
to be consistent across their classrooms.
For example, all teachers in the school
22
Actions and Results
agreed to teach mathematics for one hour
and 15 minutes each day; follow timelines
for completing various portions of the
math curriculum; implement a rigorous
schedule of formative and summative assessments in reading and math; and use
guided reading strategies in grades K–3.
One challenge for faculty was figuring
out how to handle situations in which a
faculty member was not abiding by these
shared agreements. The leadership team
proposed—and all teachers agreed—to use
regularly scheduled meetings to check in
with one another about whether everyone
was adhering to the shared agreements
and how they could support one another
in doing so” (Galvin and Parsley, 2005,
pp. 2-3).
23
School Turnarounds
24
Actions and Results
Annotated Bibliography
Almanzan, H.M. (2005, Summer). Schools moving up. Educational Leadership, 62. Retrieved January 2008 from http://
www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.459dee008f9965
3fb85516f762108a0c
In extensive interviews with 18 formerly low-performing schools in California and Nevada that had boosted
student performance, school leaders shared the reasons for
their success with consultants at WestEd’s Northern California Comprehensive Assistance Center. The consultants
identified several common characteristics for turnaround
success:
¬¬ High expectations of all students became a part of
school culture.
¬¬ Performance data drove decision making.
¬¬ Developing a data-informed plan enabled the school
to focus effort and limited resources on specific key
goals.
¬¬ Interactive principal leadership ensured principals
were in the classroom providing guidance to teachers and knew students personally.
¬¬ Embedding professional development into the
school ensured that teachers began to work together
collaboratively as a team.
¬¬ Aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessments
within grade levels and across the school kept all the
teachers on the same path to success.
25
School Turnarounds
¬¬ Reaching out to parents to meet
parents’ needs: feeling comfortable at the school, involving them
in their children’s education, and
creating a sense of community.
Galvin, M., & Parsley, D. (2005). Turning
failure into opportunity. Educational
Leadership, 62. Retrieved January 2008
fromhttp://www.ascd.org/portal/site/
ascd/menuitem.459dee008f99653fb8551
6f762108a0c
Charles A. Dana Center. (1999). Hope for urban education: A study of nine high-performing, high poverty urban elementary
schools. Austin: The University of Texas,
Austin. Available on the web at: http://
www.ed.gov/PDFDocs/urbaned.pdf
Alcester-Hudson Elementary
School—a 150 student, K-6 school in SE
South Dakota—was designated “in need
of improvement” in 2001. The school,
95% white with 26% qualifying for free
or reduced-price lunch, represented the
small farming community that surrounded it, and the continuity of the declining
population meant that parents and extended family attended the school themselves when they were kids. Mid-continent
Research for Education and Learning
(McRel) got involved as consultants and
in three years, the students scoring proficient in math went from 45% to 95% and
in reading from 55% to 100%. They accomplished this dramatic improvement
through six key practices:
This study of nine high-performing
high-poverty urban elementary schools offers preliminary explanation of the factors
that contributed to the schools’ success,
based on interviews with school administrators, teachers, and parents, and visits
and observations at the school.
Duke, D.L., Tucker, P.D., Belcher, M., Crews,
D., Harrison0Coleman, J., Higgins, J., et
al. (2005, September). Lift-off: Launch-
ing the school turnaround process in 10
Virginia schools. Charlottesville, VA:
Darden/Curry. Partnership for Leaders
¬¬ Distributing leadership
in Education. Retrieved January 2008
fromhttp://www.darden.virginia.edu/uploadedFiles/Centers_of_Excellence/PLE/
VSTPS-Final.pdf
¬¬ Developing shared expectations for
students
This report contains a collection of
stories by ten principals about their efforts to turn around low-performing
schools in Virginia, and an analysis of the
initial turnaround efforts by members of
a research team from the University of
Virginia. Examples from seven schools
that made adequate yearly progress under
their turnaround leader—for the first time
in at least three years—offer insight into
the changes that contributed to improvements in student learning.
¬¬ Focusing on one problem at a time
¬¬ Getting hooked on data
¬¬ Building a professional learning
community
¬¬ Turning a problem into an opportunity for growth
26
Actions and Results
Mullen, C.A., & Patrick, R.L. (2000). The
persistent dream: A principal’s promising reform of an at-risk elementary urban
school. Journal of Education for Students
Placed at Risk, 5(3), 229-250. Available—
in html form only—online at: http://
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JSD/
is_6_62/ai_n13810321
Paul, D. (2005). Higher education in competitive markets: Literature on organizational decline and turnaround. The
Journal of General Education, 54(2),
106-138. Available online to Project
MUSE subscribers at:http://muse.jhu.
edu/login?uri=/journals/journal_of_general_education/v054/54.2paul.html
Principal Lynne Patrick (co-author of
this case study) turned around the lowestachieving elementary school in Alabama—
an all-Black, urban K-6 elementary school
identified as academically at-risk and
facing state takeover. The students in this
elementary school faced many challenges;
violence, abuse (sexual, physical, and
emotional), birth defects including fetal
alcohol syndrome, incarcerated parents,
drug addiction, sexual activity at a young
age, etc. This turnaround implemented
eight strategies for improving the school’s
climate:
This article looks at turnarounds in
higher education/university settings and
how they relate to corporate turnarounds.
The author argues that universities have,
in recent decades, become more impacted
by market forces and have a more serviceoriented focus. At the end of the article,
Paul highlights two university turnarounds in the face of these challenges,
NYU and Northeastern.
Werkema, R.C., & Case, R. (2005). Calculus
as a catalyst: The transformation of an
inner-city high school in Boston. Urban
Education, 40, 497-520. Available online
to Sage Journals Online subscribers at:http://uex.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/40/5/497
¬¬ Apply a philosophy of discipline
and management
¬¬ Rely on and develop support systems
Werkema and Case provide a case
study of Jeremiah E. Burke High School
in Boston—a poor urban school with 97%
students of color, three quarters of students from economically challenged families, and performing last of all of Boston’s
high schools on the state’s achievement
exam, MCAS. The school had 1000 students, only one guidance counselor, and
no librarian.
¬¬ Precipitate staff changes
¬¬ Create rituals of visibility and relationship
¬¬ Apply Maslow’s “Hierarchy of
Needs” model
¬¬ Design new educational and remedial programs
¬¬ Implement teacher development
standards
This case study follows the school’s
transformation after losing its accreditation in 1995 with Algebra I as the highest math class available to a school that
graduated 21 seniors with a year of calculus in 2000. The case study focuses
on a calculus class specifically because
¬¬ Develop a case for year-round
schooling
27
School Turnarounds
implementation of such a course was only
possible by transformations made in the
political, technical, and normative aspects
of the program. Politically, resources were
focused on the new goal of developing a
rigorous curriculum; normatively, teachers were required to believe their students
could achieve; and technically, teachers
were hired with the skills and expertise to
provide rigorous coursework. The school,
in 2000, had strong student attendance,
increased the number of students taking
the SATs by 20 percent (to just 5% below the statewide average), and had been
improving its MCAS scores at a faster rate
than the district’s average scores. One
hundred percent of the 2001 graduating
class was accepted by an institution of
higher learning.
1Center on Education Policy, From the Capital to the Classroom: Year Four of the No Child
Left Behind Act. (Washington, DC: Center on Education Policy, 2006). Available online at
.]
2Public Impact, School Turnarounds: Cross-Sector Evidence on Dramatic Organizational Improvement (Lincoln, IL: Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2006) ; Kowal, J. & Hassel, E. A., What Works When: Turnarounds with New Leaders and Staff. (Washington, DC:
Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, 2006).
28
Actions and Results
For more information on school
turnarounds and related topics,
please see:
www.centerii.org
29
School Turnarounds
30
For more information please
contact:
Center on
Innovation &
Improvement
Twin paths to better schools.
121 N. Kickapoo Street
Lincoln, Illinois 62656
217-732-6462
217-732-3696
www.centerii.org
doc_311344161.pdf
This presentation explain school turnarounds actions and results.
School
Turnarounds
Actions and Results
Center on
Innovation &
Improvement
Twin paths to better schools.
SCHOOL
TURNAROUNDS
Actions and Results
Prepared by Dana Brinson, Julie Kowal and Bryan C. Hassel of
Public Impact for the Center on Innovation & Improvement.
Lauren Morando Rhim and Eli Valsing also contributed.
Information ?
Tools ? Training
Positive results for students will come from changes in the knowledge, skill, and behavior of their
teachers and parents. State policies and programs must provide the opportunity, support, incentive, and
expectation for adults close to the lives of children to make wise decisions.
The Center on Innovation & Improvement helps regional comprehensive centers in their work with
states to provide districts, schools, and families with the opportunity, information, and skills to make wise
decisions on behalf of students.
A national content center supported by the
U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Award #S283B050057
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position of the supporting agencies,
and no official endorsement should be inferred.
© 2008 Public Impact, Academic Development Institute. All rights reserved.
Design: Pam Sheley
TABLE OF CONTENTS??
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 3
Turnaround Leader Action Table................................................................................................. 6
Initial Analysis and Problem Solving............................................................................................ 9
Collect and Analyze Data........................................................................................................................... 9
Make Action Plan Based on Data............................................................................................................ 10
Driving for Results........................................................................................................................... 11
Concentrate on Big, Fast Payoffs............................................................................................................ 11
Implement Practices Even If They Require Deviation...................................................................... 12
Require All Staff to Change...................................................................................................................... 14
Make Necessary Staff Replacements...................................................................................................... 14
Focus on Successful Tactics...................................................................................................................... 15
Do Not Tout Progress as Ultimate Success........................................................................................ 15
Influencing Inside and Outside the Organization...................................................................... 17
Communicate a Positive Vision............................................................................................................... 17
Help Staff Personally Feel Problems....................................................................................................... 18
Gain Support of Key Influencers............................................................................................................ 18
Measuring, Reporting (and Improving)....................................................................................... 21
Measure and Report Progress Frequently........................................................................................... 21
Require All Decision Makers to Share Data and Problem Solve................................................. 22
Annotated Bibliography................................................................................................................. 25
?
Actions and Results
INTRODUCTION
Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), schools
that fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for five
consecutive years must engage in “restructuring” to improve student learning. Under the law, districts can:
1. reopen the school as a public charter school;
2. replace all or most of the school staff, which may
include the principal;
3. contract with an outside entity to operate the school;
4. turn the operation of the school over to the state
educational agency; or
5. engage in another form of major restructuring that
makes fundamental reforms.
Each of these restructuring options is intended to
usher in a significant shift in how the school is governed.
But three - reopening as a charter school, contracting with
an external management organization, and state takeover
- are seldom attempted. Some states do not have charter
school laws, and other states have restrictive laws that
make creation of a charter school difficult. Similarly, some states do not
allow state takeover of school, and
What must happen for a turnaround
the experience with state takeover
to succeed? What actions must the
is limited and unimpressive. School
new leader take to get results?
districts also are reluctant to admit
their own failure with the schools by
choosing one of these three options.
During the 2005-06 school year (the most recent national data available) approximately 600 schools entered
3
School Turnarounds
the final stage of restructuring. Most disarise from the actions in order for student
tricts used “mild” interventions in these
learning to improve?
schools - the fifth “other” option - rather
In 2007, the Center on Innovation
than the stronger interventions - such as
and Improvement published School Turnreplacing a leader or staff. Even among
arounds: A Review of the Cross-sector
districts that use stronger interventions
Evidence on Dramatic Organizational
in 2006, 42 percent appointed an outside
Improvement2 that identified fourteen
expert to advise the school; 24 percent exleader actions associated with successful
tended the school day or year; 14 percent
turnarounds in the business, nonprofit,
“restructured the internal organization of
government,
the school.” Only
and education
14 percent of all
sectors. School
This report provides descriptive, realrestructuring
Turnarounds
world vignettes that illustrate the actions
schools in 2005
provides a strong
that successful school leaders have taken
replaced a signifioverview of the
cant portion of
to turn around low-performing schools.
recurrent leader
the school’s staff,
actions across
and almost no
these sectors and
districts invited
a handful of illustrative examples.
private firms or state agencies to take over
restructuring schools or reopened the
While School Turnarounds provides
school as a charter school.1
a useful conceptual framework of leader
actions, education leaders are also eager
Guidance from the U.S. Department
for compelling examples of how those
of Education in 2006 on districts’ use
actions have played out in actual school
of the “other” category made clear that
turnarounds. As a result, this report
states and districts need more direction
provides descriptive, real-world vignettes
in choosing this option, as it was typithat illustrate for practitioners the actions
cally chosen as a means of avoiding more
that successful school leaders have taken
dramatic change. The staff and leader
to turn around low-performing schools.
replacement option - defined here as
This resource tool begins by identifying
a school turnaround - has been largely
and explaining the fourteen leader actions
underused and recently sparked much
associated with a successful turnaround.
national interest.
Next, descriptive vignettes are provided to
The education literature on turnillustrate each leader action. These viarounds is sparse. If districts choose
gnettes were drawn from case studies docturnaround as a restructuring option they
umenting successful turnarounds. Some
should not expect that they will get results
vignettes relate to more than one action
by merely replacing the school leader.
and are thus repeated where they apply.
What then must happen in a turnaround
For instance, Mullen & Patrick’s 2000
situation for it to succeed? What actions
case study of one of Alabama’s lowestdoes the new leader take that get results?
performing schools provides a particularly
What is the linkage between leader acpoignant story of one school’s turnaround,
tions and effective practices that must
including details about the strategies that
the principal used to dramatically increase
4
Actions and Results
student performance. More information
about this and the other case studies from
which the vignettes were drawn appear in
an annotated bibliography, beginning on
page 23.
after their first year. Turnarounds deemed
(initially) successful by the researchers
were those in which the schools made
Adequate Yearly Progress – a status that
none of the ten had achieved for three
years prior to the turnaround attempts.
These schools may or may not be turnaround success stories in the long-term.
All that can be said is that the vignettes
captured here are from school turnarounds deemed successful by researchers at the time of their studies. Over time,
as experience and research accumulates,
it will be possible to zero in on stories of
school turnarounds that were sustained
over time.
One important caveat is in order
about the definition of “successful turnaround.” Ideally, a school turnaround
would generate substantial gains in student learning in year one that were then
sustained over time. In the literature
reviewed here, however, case studies often
were not able to take such a long term
view. The Duke et al. (2005) study, for
example, examined 10 turnaround efforts
5
School Turnarounds
Turnaround Leader Actions Table
Turnaround Leader Action
What It Means
Initial Analysis and Problem Solving
Collect & Analyze Data
Initially, turnaround leaders personally analyze data
about the organization’s performance to identify highpriority problems that can be fixed quickly. Later, they
establish organization routines that include ongoing
data analysis (see Measure and Report below).
Make Action Plan Based on Turnaround leaders make an action plan so that
Data
everyone involved knows specifically what they need to
do differently. This allows people to focus on changing
what they do, rather than worrying about impending
change.
Driving for Results
Concentrate on Big, Fast
Successful turnaround leaders first concentrate on a very
Payoffs in Year One
limited number of changes to achieve early, visible wins
for the organization. They do this to achieve success in
an important area, to motivate staff for further change,
and to reduce resistance by those who oppose change.
Implement Practices Even Turnaround leaders make changes that deviate from
if Require Deviation
organization norms or rules – not just for change’s sake,
but to achieve early wins. In a failing organization,
existing norms and rules often contribute to failure.
Targeted deviations to achieve early wins teach the
organization that new practices can lead to success.
Require All Staff to Change When a turnaround leader implements an action plan,
change is mandatory, not optional.
Make Necessary Staff
Successful turnaround leaders typically do not replace
Replacements
all or most staff. But they often replace some senior
staff, particularly those who manage others. After
the organization begins to show turnaround success,
staff unwilling or unable to make changes that their
colleagues have made leave or are removed by the
leader.
Focus on Successful
Successful turnaround leaders are quick to discard
Tactics; Halt Others
tactics that do not work and spend more resources and
time on tactics that work. This pruning and growing
process focuses limited time and money where they will
have the most impact on critical results.
6
Actions and Results
Turnaround Leader Action
Do Not Tout Progress as
Ultimate Success
What It Means
Turnaround leaders are not satisfied with partial
success. They report progress, but keep the organization
focused on high goals. When a goal is met, they are
likely to raise the bar.
Influencing Inside and Outside the Organization
Communicate a Positive
Turnaround leaders motivate others inside and outside
Vision
the organization to contribute their discretionary effort
by communicating a clear picture of success and its
benefits.
Help Staff Personally Feel Turnaround leaders use various tactics to help staff
Problems
empathize with – or “put themselves in the shoes
of” – those whom they serve. This helps staff feel
the problems that the status quo is causing and feel
motivated to change.
Gain Support of Key
Turnaround leaders work hard to gain the support of
Influencers
trusted influencers among staff and community. They
work through these people to influence those who might
oppose change.
Silence Critics with Speedy Early, visible wins are used not just for success in
Success
their own right, but to make it harder for others to
oppose further change. This reduces leader time spent
addressing “politics” and increases time spent managing
for results.
Measuring, Reporting (and Improving)
Measure and Report
Turnaround leaders set up systems to measure and
Progress Frequently
report interim results often. This enables the rapid
discard of failed tactics and increase of successful tactics
essential for fast results.
Require all Decision
Sharing of results in open-air meetings allows
Makers to Share Data
turnaround leaders to hold staff who make key decisions
and Problem Solve
accountable for results, creating discomfort for those
who do not make needed changes and providing kudos
to those who are achieving success. This shifts the
focus of the organization’s meetings from power plays,
blaming, and excuses to problem solving.
7
School Turnarounds
8
Actions and Results
Initial Analysis and
Problem Solving
Collect and analyze data
Initially, turnaround leaders personally analyze data
about the organization’s performance to identify high-priority problems that can be fixed quickly. Later, they establish organization routines that include ongoing data analysis (see Measure and Report).
Ross Swearingen, principal at Brentwood Elementary
School in Victorville, California conducted 600 informal
teacher observations in a single school year. The focus of
his observations were items such as students on tasks and
standards and strategies implemented. He tracked his observations on a hand-held computer (Almanzan, 2005).
Another principal explained
his start at a new school: “I started
identifying the needs of the school by
Turnaround leaders personally
visiting the building in order to take
analyze data about the organization’s
an inventory of available resources
performance to identify high-priority
and look at the physical plant itself.
problems that can be fixed quickly.
Then I met with individual teachers, and we examined test scores and
other achievement data, discipline
data, and attendance data. Together, we faced the ‘brutal
facts’ of what was working and what was not” (Duke et al.
2005, p. 10).
9
School Turnarounds
Lynne Patrick, principal of the lowest perAt Alcester-Hudson Elementary in
forming elementary school in Alabama,
rural South Dakota, “teachers grew so
“jokes that she had to become ‘a morning
adept at using data that they were able
person’ so that each child could be greeted
to use formative assessments to monitor
at the front door. On her notepad she
each student’s learning in relation to state
records who needs help, with whom she
and district content standards. Midway
needs to consult, and about what issues.
through the 2003–2004 school year, the
Lynne makes use of this ritual to collect
McREL consultants asked the staff to use
data to identify
formative asspecific physisessment data
cal and emoto predict perTurnaround leaders make an action
tional needs…
formance on the
plan so that everyone involved knows
Lynne also uses
upcoming state
specifically
what
they
need
to
do
this time to
test. The teachdifferently.
reinforce posiers predicted
tive thinking,
that student
the readiness to
scores would
learn, and the
decline; they
children’s trust that she will work on their
believed that as teachers they may have let
behalf” (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, p. 244).
up on some of the efforts that had led to
their initial success in 2002. This predicMake action plan based on data
tion energized the teachers to recommit
Turnaround leaders make an action
to their shared agreements, and in 2004,
plan so that everyone involved knows spestudent scores on the state math and
cifically what they need to do differently.
reading tests again showed improvement”
This allows people to focus on changing
(Galvin and Parsley, 2005, p. 3).
what they do, rather than worrying about
impending change.
Principal Patrick in Alabama formed
a faculty governance committee that
At one school, the principal instituted
worked with the state department assisnew benchmark tests and set aside time
tance teams to develop their data analyevery nine weeks to carefully review the
sis skills. The teachers, through a series
results with his faculty. “I have a notebook
of workshops, became comfortable with
with the name of every student and how
interpreting student performance on the
well he or she did on each test. I colorSAT-9 and developing individual plans for
code the students so I can quickly identify
student academic development. Principal
the ones that need a little improvement
Patrick also used the SAT–9 results to
and the ones that need a lot of help in
decide which academic areas to focus on
order to pass the state tests. My teachers
each year. This enabled her to concentrate
and I spend a lot of time identifying which
on one problem at once—for example,
items were missed most frequently on the
reading in her first year at the school—and
tests and figuring out how to reteach the
working on other areas over time (Mullen
material before May” (Duke et al., 2005,
& Patrick, 2000).
p.16).
10
Actions and Results
Driving for Results
Concentrate on big, fast payoffs in year one, and
silence critics with speedy success
Successful turnaround leaders first concentrate on a
very limited number of changes to achieve early, visible
wins for the organization. They do this to achieve success in
an important area, to motivate staff for further change, and
to reduce resistance by those who oppose change. Silencing
critics with quick, visible results reduces leader time spent
addressing “politics” and increases time spent managing
for results.
Rather than designing a comprehensive improvement
plan to fix everything at once, “the leadership team at Alcester-Hudson used data to focus on one problem at a time.
For example, teachers in the primary grades jointly agreed
on specific minimum test scores in reading comprehension
(using the Developmental Reading Assessment to measure
reading) as achievement targets for
all students at each grade level. After
Successful turnaround leaders first
a year of consistently focusing on
instructional goals and discussing
concentrate on a very limited number
student achievement, the teachers
of changes to achieve early, visible
were gratified (but not surprised) to
wins for the organization.
see scores on the state standardized
tests rise significantly. With these
‘quick wins’ under their belts, the
teachers consulted the data again, derived a new focus for
their improvement efforts, and consulted the research for
11
School Turnarounds
guidance about next steps” (Galvin and
Parsley, 2005, p. 4).
Principal Patrick “had the hallway floors
professionally stripped and cleaned to
eliminate the bad odor. Church volunteers
repainted the red-and-purple hallways
Principal Patrick in Alabama used
sage green and off-white, soothing colors.
results from state standardized tests to
Exterminators sprayed the school and
decide which academic areas to focus on
remained on coneach year. This
tract.” Following
enabled her to
these changes,
concentrate on
the children beTurnaround leaders make changes
one problem area
gan to take pride
that deviate from organization norms
at a time—for
in their building,
or rules.
example, reading
and there has
in her first year
been a marked
at the school—
decrease in grafand adding other
fiti and littering (Mullen & Patrick 2000,
subjects over time. This focus may have
pp. 238-39).
contributed to its academic successes, as
the school moved from recognition as the
lowest performing school in the district
One principal noted, “I was deterto the most improved (Mullen & Patrick,
mined to get [the facility] fixed up before
2000).
students and staff arrived in August. I
met with the custodial staff and central
office administrators to understand who
Another principal explained: “After
was in charge of supervision and put a
hearing several times from parents that it
plan in place to get the school clean. I
takes too long to drop off and pick up their
worked with the Parks and Recreation
children, I worked with the traffic moniDepartment to ensure that the gym and
tors to speed up the process. I attacked
playground areas were left clean when
similar problems with cafeteria lines,
the town used our facilities” (Duke et al.
unloading the buses, and accounting for
2005, p. 21).
students’ lunch payments. Although these
are small problems, fixing them makes the
whole school day more efficient and pays
Students at another school began
off in more satisfied parents” (Duke et al.
walking in the hallways with their arms
2005, p. 23).
folded. This simple rule helped prevent
behavior problems before they started and
created a more conducive environment for
Principal Patrick focused on providing
teaching and learning (Charles A. Dana
a warm, inviting atmosphere for students
Center, 1999, p. 12).
and school visitors when she took over the
Implement practices even if they
lowest-performing elementary school in
require deviation
Alabama. This was a difficult task because
on her first day at the school she poured
Turnaround leaders make changes
a roach out of her soft drink can and the
that deviate from organization norms or
stench in the hallways was overwhelming.
rules—not just for change’s sake, but to
12
Actions and Results
achieve early wins. In a failing organization, existing norms and rules often contribute to failure. Targeted deviations to
achieve early wins teach the organization
that new practices can lead to success.
had one 75-minute period every day for
electives instead of two 52-minute elective
periods. Because each grade level goes to
its elective block at a different time during
the day, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders
are never in the halls at the same time. In
addition, there are no bells. At designated
times, teachers walk their students to
their elective classes. After electives, the
elective teachers walk students back to
their teams” (Duke et al., 2005, p. 58).
One principal experienced significant
problems with the computer-based benchmark testing program in his district. Instead of waiting for the district to resolve
the technological glitches, he insisted
instead that the school use a paper-andpencil test until the problems could be
resolved. This allowed school staff to administer and correct the tests themselves,
and to analyze and use results much more
quickly (Duke et al., 2005).
Principal Patrick realized that her
students would benefit, academically and
socially, from the supports provided by
year-round schooling. She prepared a case
for changing the school year by surveying “key stakeholders about their views
on year-round schooling—ranging from
One principal explained that “our
the students to guardians, churches, and
human resources were not focused on the
community organizations (e.g., YMCA).”
needs of the students. Our instructional
Through this process, she identified an
assistants typically left school at 2:30
organization—the Boys and Girls Club
p.m., and our teachers at 3:00. Since we
of America—for the students to attend
have a late bus
during the new
that leaves at 3:30
breaks created by
p.m., I worked
the year-round
Targeted deviations to achieve early
with central office
calendar. Prinwins teach the organization that new
to extend teacher
cipal Patrick
and instructional
practices can lead to success.
and the faculty
assistant hours so
research team
that, when stuanalyzed the surdents need extra
vey results, and
help, we would have adult resources on
finding that all stakeholders supported the
hand after school” (Duke et al., 2005, p.
move, presented the data to the board of
23).
education. When she first presented the
case to the school board, “one member at
the meeting argued that parents did not
Though his request to the district was
want to be on the year-round schooling
declined, one principal nonetheless made
calendar because it interferes with church
significant adjustments to the school-day
and vacation. The principal responded,
schedule in order to reduce the number of
‘But did you talk to the parents of my
discipline problems that were interruptschool?’ to which the person replied, ‘No.’”
ing students’ learning. “We blocked the
Principal Patrick reminded the school
elective courses so that each grade level
13
School Turnarounds
board members that she had surveyed the
parents and community members working
with her school, and that they supported
the change. “The request for the support
of year-round schooling for her school
was approved, despite opposition and the
recent failure of a nearby White-majority
district to win its own case.” (Mullen &
Patrick, 2000, pp. 247-8).
pointments, conduct anger management
classes, and help parents apply for Medicaid and Kids First insurance. They also
helped involve parents in their children’s
learning and problems as well as encouraged parents to become involved in the
school on parent boards and as classroom
volunteers (Mullen & Patrick, 2000).
Require all staff to change
When a turnaround leader implements an action plan, change is mandatory, not optional.
Lynn Patrick, principal at the then
lowest-achieving elementary school in
Alabama sought “solutions that match[ed]
the actual needs of the children—regardPrincipal Lynne Patrick focused
less of how unconventional or extreme the
her teachers on creating better learnsolutions may [have seemed] to outsiding conditions
ers.” In one case,
through “student
principal Patrick
supervision,
responded to a
When a turnaround leader
regular school
situation in her
attendance, and
implements an action plan, change is
school where a
respect for all
10-year-old girl
mandatory, not optional.
children.” Lynne
believed she was
guided facpregnant and
ulty governance
did not know
committees to create faculty handbooks
who the father was by instituting a sexual
that outlined the procedures necessary
abstinence and STD education program
to create these conditions. Through these
for selected students who were sexually
handbooks and the principal’s guidance,
active or at risk of becoming so (Mullen &
for example, student supervision became
Patrick, 2000, p. 237).
a “high priority because some teachers
would leave their classes without anPrincipal Lynn Patrick noticed that
other adult present. The principal worked
many of her students’ parents lacked
against what she believed to be an unstattelephones or transportation to take their
ed philosophy for most of the teachers: It
children to health appointments she had
was easier to tolerate bad behavior than
been arranging. To ensure that her stuit was to teach the students” (Mullen &
dents were healthy—and could thus take
Patrick, 2000, pp. 240-41).
greater advantage of their education—the
Make necessary staff replacements
principal wrote grants to hire a nurse and
Successful turnaround leaders typicala social worker full time. These new hires
ly
do
not replace all or most staff. But they
were able to: dispense medicine, treat
often replace some senior staff, particuinjuries, make home calls on children who
larly those who manage others. After the
stayed home sick, schedule health aporganization begins to show turnaround
14
Actions and Results
success, staff unwilling or unable to make
changes that their colleagues have made
leave or are removed by the leader.
students’ overall health and well being
and prepared them to tackle their academic work (Mullen & Patrick, 2000).
Do not tout progress as ultimate
success
Turnaround leaders are not satisfied
with partial success. They report progress,
but keep the organization focused on high
goals. When a goal is met, they are likely
to raise the bar.
Early in Principal Patrick’s tenure,
forty percent of the staff changed at her
encouragement. “Four teachers were
transferred to other schools, two resigned,
and two retired, which resulted in a major staff turnover in a short time. Those
teachers who were transferred understood
curriculum and instruction, but they
were ‘burned out’ from trying to meet the
heavy demands of this school, so [Patrick]
worked with the human resource department to transfer them to other schools.
Several of the untenured teachers whose
actions toward the children were harmful
were ‘nonrenewed.’” These staff changes
“set the tone for a highly committed staff
that makes decisions to benefit the children” (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, p. 243).
At Alcester-Hudson Elementary in rural South Dakota, faculty were not content
to rest after achieving some initial success.
“After a year of consistently focusing on
instructional goals and discussing student
achievement, the teachers were gratified
(but not surprised) to see scores on the
state standardized tests rise significantly.
With these ‘quick wins’ under their belts,
the teachers consulted the data again, derived a new focus for their improvement
efforts, and consulted the research for
guidance about next steps” (Galvin and
Parsley, 2005, p. 4).
Focus on successful tactics; halt
others
Successful turnaround leaders are
quick to discard tactics that do not work
and spend more resources and time on
tactics that work. This pruning and growing process focuses limited time and
money where they will have the most
impact on critical results.
Principal Patrick chose to bring in or
make available several programs that met
the varied needs of her specific students.
These programs, such as the sexual abstinence and self-restraint program, anger
management program, Saturday school
for academically strong students, summer
school for children who need extra academic and social support, the Read Aloud
program, and Peace Works, supported
15
School Turnarounds
16
Actions and Results
Influencing Inside
and Outside the
Organization
Communicate a positive vision
Turnaround leaders motivate others inside and outside
the organization to contribute their discretionary effort by
communicating a clear picture of success and its benefits.
The school administration at Burke High School in
Boston didn’t wait until the entire school improved their
basic test scores before making the program more rigorous
and offering classes that challenged the higher-performing
students. Rather, they sought to change the norms under
which Burke High School had been operating. Offering calculus before most students improved their basic math skills
advertised different expectations about what school leaders
believed their students were capable of and what courses
were appropriate for a poor, urban school. This positive
vision looked beyond the current situation where Algebra I
was the highest math course offered and ahead to the day
just a few years later when 21 seniors graduated with a year
of calculus (Werkema and Case,
2005).
Turnaround leaders motivate others
Principal Denise Peterson of
by communicating a clear picture of
Colin Powell Academy in Long
success.
Beach, California told her staff
that the prevailing feeling among
teachers that their students had it
so tough at home that they could not push them too hard at
school would only perpetuate the cycle of poverty and rac17
School Turnarounds
Gain support of key influencers
Turnaround leaders work hard to gain
the support of trusted influencers among
staff and community. They work through
these people to influence those who might
oppose change.
ism. “Once teachers began to hold their
students to high academic expectations
(while still providing necessary support),
student achievement improved remarkably and continued to improve every year”
(Almanzan, 2005, p. 2).
Principal Patrick sought to encourDenise Peterson at Colin Powell Acadage pride in Black heritage and school
emy, seeking to develop stronger relationachievement among her entirely Black
ships with students and their parents,
student population. To promote readdrove to school bus stops to check in with
ing, the “Banana
students, walked
Reading Tree”
home with kids
displayed the
who lived in
Turnaround leaders help staff
names of authors
local neighborand their books
members put themselves in the shoes
hoods, and got
on each banana
to know parents.
of the students they serve.
leaf. Student
These personal
reading responsrelationships
es accompany
allowed her to
each book. Pride of Black heritage was
deal with any discipline problems before
promoted, in one way, through pictures
they became bigger issues. Her presence
of African American leaders being promiin the community even improved student
nently displayed throughout the school
behavior at local businesses after school,
(Mullen & Patrick, 2000).
because kids knew she might be around.
This improvement did not go unnoticed
by local merchants who began to call the
principal instead of the police if there was
a problem with the students (Almanzan,
2005).
Help staff personally feel problems
Turnaround leaders use various tactics to help staff empathize with – or “put
themselves in the shoes of” – those whom
they serve. This helps staff feel the problems that the status quo is causing and
feel motivated to change.
Principal Patrick worked hard to
counter the teachers who said the students thought she was weak and ineffectual because she didn’t “yell and paddle.”
Principal Patrick strove to treat everyone
with respect and sought to build “trust
with the children by visiting their homes
and driving them home whenever they felt
threatened, by talking with them about
their problems and following through
with solutions, and by showing that she
was someone they could depend on.” It
Principal Lynda Christian of Horace
Mann Elementary School in Glendale,
California memorably told her teachers to
look at their class rolls and let her know
personally if there were any children on
the lists that they were not capable of
teaching (Almanzan, 2005).
18
Actions and Results
took some time, over a year, but students
learned to communicate their problems
effectively and to trust the adults in their
school (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, pp.
239-40).
aged parents to become involved in the
school on parent boards and as classroom
volunteers (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, p.
242).
Principal Patrick realized that her
students would benefit, academically and
socially, from the supports provided by
year-round schooling. She prepared a
case for changing the school year surveying key stakeholders about their views
on year-round schooling—ranging from
the students to guardians, churches, and
community organizations (e.g., YMCA).”
Through this process, she identified an
organization—the Boys and Girls Club of
America—for the students to attend during the new breaks created by the yearround calendar. Principal Patrick and the
faculty research team analyzed the survey
results, and finding that all stakeholders
supported the move, presented the data
to the board of education. “The request
for the support of year-round schooling
for her school was approved, despite opposition and the recent failure of a nearby
White-majority district to win its own
case” (Mullen & Patrick, 2000, p. 247).
Principal Lynne Patrick recognized
the importance of school-community
partnerships to serve the whole child.
She sought out church partners to be
involved in the school turnaround, and
eight churches adopted the school as part
of a local church program called Strategies
to Elevate People (S.T.E.P.) Foundation.
Church volunteers repainted the hallways at the beginning of the school year
and “donated teddy bears for the ‘reading buddy’ program, computers for the
advanced grade levels, and funds for the
major clean-up of the school and other
projects. They continue to provide for the
‘clothing closet’ and such learning incentives as the annual riverboat cruise for the
sixth grade graduating class” (Mullen &
Patrick, 2000, p. 242).
Principal Lynn Patrick noticed that
many of her students’ parents lacked
telephones or transportation to take their
children to health appointments she had
been arranging. To ensure that her students were healthy—and could thus take
greater advantage of their education—the
principal wrote grants to hire a nurse and
a social worker full time. These new hires
were able to: dispense medicine, treat
injuries, make home calls on children who
stayed home sick, schedule health appointments, conduct anger management
classes, and help parents apply for Medicaid and Kids First insurance. They also
helped involve parents in their children’s
learning and problems as well as encour-
Burke High School had gone from
being a school praised for its successes
in 1990 to becoming the only New England school to lose its accreditation in the
entire century only five years later. This
was a direct result of the student population increasing by 50%, the administrative budget being slashed by 50%, and
the teacher budgeting being cut by a third
over that period. In order to rally political
will to help improve the school, the headmaster gathered parents, and they came
up with a list of 45 demands to the district. Parents threatened the district with a
19
School Turnarounds
civil rights lawsuit claiming unequal treatment, and the headmaster pushed the new
superintendent—not yet on the job and
embroiled in the politics—to support extra
money going into the school and reducing enrollment. It worked; the district
doubled the school’s budget and the headmaster, Dr. Leonard, was able to bring
on teachers and administrators prepared
to turn the school around (Werkema and
Case, 2005).
are small problems, fixing them makes the
whole school day more efficient and pays
off in more satisfied parents (Duke et al.
2005, p. 23).
Northeastern University faced falling
enrollments in the late 80s that forced
the new university president, John A.
Curry, to restructure the entire budget
and adjust to a lower enrollment target.
This reduction necessitated administrative and faculty cuts. The president and
board of directors relied on a joint faculty
committee to recommend cuts—in budget items and positions in administration
and faculty. Bringing the faculty on board
for such tough decision making helped
ameliorate the political costs of cutting so
many positions and helped the faculty see
the problems the university faced firsthand (Paul, 2005).
Another principal explained: “After
hearing several times from parents that it
takes too long to drop off and pick up their
children, I worked with the traffic monitors to speed up the process. I attacked
similar problems with cafeteria lines,
unloading the buses, and accounting for
students’ lunch payments. Although these
Turnaround leaders work to gain the
support of trusted staff and community
members to influence others who might
oppose change.
20
Actions and Results
Measuring, Reporting
(and Improving)
Measure and report progress frequently
Turnaround leaders set up systems to measure and report interim results often. This enables the rapid discard of
failed tactics and increase of successful tactics essential for
fast results.
One principal made a habit of publishing student performance data on weekly benchmarks at the start of every
week. “Now my teachers expect it at the start of every week.
For example, I was at a conference at the beginning of one
week and didn’t have an opportunity to publish the data.
When I returned to school, they all asked, ‘Where’s the
data?’ They already had a copy of their own data, but they
wanted to see the whole picture. Many teachers have begun
to share the data with their students. They track the data in
the classroom so that the kids know how well they are doing” (Duke et al., 2005, p. 12).
“Early on in the improvement
process, the staff at Alcester-Hudson
Turnaround leaders set up systems to
learned the cycle of school improvemeasure and report interim results
ment: Study data, form hypotheses,
often.
plan and implement changes in
instruction, reallocate resources,
and remeasure to determine changes
in student learning….Data also became a vehicle for noting success and celebrating the achievements of the staff.
21
School Turnarounds
Today, instruction in the school revolves
around data” (Galvin and Parsley, 2005,
p. 3).
ning time. The principal obtained permission from the county to grant 45 minutes
of additional contract time to make the
arrangement possible (Duke et al., 2005,
p. 50).
Require all decision makers to share
data and problem solve
Sharing of results in open-air meetAt Alcester-Hudson Elementary, a
ings allows turnaround leaders to hold
rural school in South Dakota, “the teachstaff who make key decisions accountable
ers developed … “Working Wednesdays.”
for results, creating discomfort for those
During this
who do not make
uninterrupted
needed changes
Sharing
results
in
open-air
meetings
two hour block
and providing
shifts the focus from power plays,
of time, classkudos to those
room, special
who are achievblaming and excuses to accountability
education, and
ing success. This
and problem solving.
Title I teachers
shifts the focus
met as a whole
of the organizagroup to discuss
tion’s meetings
instructional strategies and the needs of
from power plays, blaming, and excuses to
individual students. Working Wednesdays
problem solving.
played a significant role in making teachers aware of their own attitudes about stuOne principal instituted weekly gradedent learning. As teachers saw how others
level meetings. Each week his teachers
used strategies successfully, they became
generated tests in science, social studies,
more aware of the learning potential of
math, and reading, and compiled data
all students. At the beginning of the work,
sheets showing the results of the previous
we often heard teachers attribute student
week’s tests. The teachers used this data
achievement to factors in the home envias the foundation for the team planning
ronment or participation in special profor the upcoming week. “We examine item
grams. As teachers shared strategies and
analysis and standards of learning strand
proposed new ideas to get students “off
reports for individual children. As a team,
the list,” such comments became less frewe work to determine why individual
quent. Instead, conversations focused on
children are not doing well on particular
changes that teachers could make in their
items” (Duke et al., 2005, p. 11).
instruction” (Galvin and Parsley, 2005, p. 4).
Teachers at another school meet for
one hour with the principal every week for
a “targeted data in-service,” and gather
for an hour with their colleagues four days
each week to problem-solve in their content areas. Three or four times per month
the principal hosts targeted professional
development programs during team plan-
At Alcester-Hudson Elementary in
rural South Dakota, “the leadership team
proposed a number of ‘shared agreements,’ which various groups of teachers
discussed and in most cases accepted,
to be consistent across their classrooms.
For example, all teachers in the school
22
Actions and Results
agreed to teach mathematics for one hour
and 15 minutes each day; follow timelines
for completing various portions of the
math curriculum; implement a rigorous
schedule of formative and summative assessments in reading and math; and use
guided reading strategies in grades K–3.
One challenge for faculty was figuring
out how to handle situations in which a
faculty member was not abiding by these
shared agreements. The leadership team
proposed—and all teachers agreed—to use
regularly scheduled meetings to check in
with one another about whether everyone
was adhering to the shared agreements
and how they could support one another
in doing so” (Galvin and Parsley, 2005,
pp. 2-3).
23
School Turnarounds
24
Actions and Results
Annotated Bibliography
Almanzan, H.M. (2005, Summer). Schools moving up. Educational Leadership, 62. Retrieved January 2008 from http://
www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/menuitem.459dee008f9965
3fb85516f762108a0c
In extensive interviews with 18 formerly low-performing schools in California and Nevada that had boosted
student performance, school leaders shared the reasons for
their success with consultants at WestEd’s Northern California Comprehensive Assistance Center. The consultants
identified several common characteristics for turnaround
success:
¬¬ High expectations of all students became a part of
school culture.
¬¬ Performance data drove decision making.
¬¬ Developing a data-informed plan enabled the school
to focus effort and limited resources on specific key
goals.
¬¬ Interactive principal leadership ensured principals
were in the classroom providing guidance to teachers and knew students personally.
¬¬ Embedding professional development into the
school ensured that teachers began to work together
collaboratively as a team.
¬¬ Aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessments
within grade levels and across the school kept all the
teachers on the same path to success.
25
School Turnarounds
¬¬ Reaching out to parents to meet
parents’ needs: feeling comfortable at the school, involving them
in their children’s education, and
creating a sense of community.
Galvin, M., & Parsley, D. (2005). Turning
failure into opportunity. Educational
Leadership, 62. Retrieved January 2008
fromhttp://www.ascd.org/portal/site/
ascd/menuitem.459dee008f99653fb8551
6f762108a0c
Charles A. Dana Center. (1999). Hope for urban education: A study of nine high-performing, high poverty urban elementary
schools. Austin: The University of Texas,
Austin. Available on the web at: http://
www.ed.gov/PDFDocs/urbaned.pdf
Alcester-Hudson Elementary
School—a 150 student, K-6 school in SE
South Dakota—was designated “in need
of improvement” in 2001. The school,
95% white with 26% qualifying for free
or reduced-price lunch, represented the
small farming community that surrounded it, and the continuity of the declining
population meant that parents and extended family attended the school themselves when they were kids. Mid-continent
Research for Education and Learning
(McRel) got involved as consultants and
in three years, the students scoring proficient in math went from 45% to 95% and
in reading from 55% to 100%. They accomplished this dramatic improvement
through six key practices:
This study of nine high-performing
high-poverty urban elementary schools offers preliminary explanation of the factors
that contributed to the schools’ success,
based on interviews with school administrators, teachers, and parents, and visits
and observations at the school.
Duke, D.L., Tucker, P.D., Belcher, M., Crews,
D., Harrison0Coleman, J., Higgins, J., et
al. (2005, September). Lift-off: Launch-
ing the school turnaround process in 10
Virginia schools. Charlottesville, VA:
Darden/Curry. Partnership for Leaders
¬¬ Distributing leadership
in Education. Retrieved January 2008
fromhttp://www.darden.virginia.edu/uploadedFiles/Centers_of_Excellence/PLE/
VSTPS-Final.pdf
¬¬ Developing shared expectations for
students
This report contains a collection of
stories by ten principals about their efforts to turn around low-performing
schools in Virginia, and an analysis of the
initial turnaround efforts by members of
a research team from the University of
Virginia. Examples from seven schools
that made adequate yearly progress under
their turnaround leader—for the first time
in at least three years—offer insight into
the changes that contributed to improvements in student learning.
¬¬ Focusing on one problem at a time
¬¬ Getting hooked on data
¬¬ Building a professional learning
community
¬¬ Turning a problem into an opportunity for growth
26
Actions and Results
Mullen, C.A., & Patrick, R.L. (2000). The
persistent dream: A principal’s promising reform of an at-risk elementary urban
school. Journal of Education for Students
Placed at Risk, 5(3), 229-250. Available—
in html form only—online at: http://
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JSD/
is_6_62/ai_n13810321
Paul, D. (2005). Higher education in competitive markets: Literature on organizational decline and turnaround. The
Journal of General Education, 54(2),
106-138. Available online to Project
MUSE subscribers at:http://muse.jhu.
edu/login?uri=/journals/journal_of_general_education/v054/54.2paul.html
Principal Lynne Patrick (co-author of
this case study) turned around the lowestachieving elementary school in Alabama—
an all-Black, urban K-6 elementary school
identified as academically at-risk and
facing state takeover. The students in this
elementary school faced many challenges;
violence, abuse (sexual, physical, and
emotional), birth defects including fetal
alcohol syndrome, incarcerated parents,
drug addiction, sexual activity at a young
age, etc. This turnaround implemented
eight strategies for improving the school’s
climate:
This article looks at turnarounds in
higher education/university settings and
how they relate to corporate turnarounds.
The author argues that universities have,
in recent decades, become more impacted
by market forces and have a more serviceoriented focus. At the end of the article,
Paul highlights two university turnarounds in the face of these challenges,
NYU and Northeastern.
Werkema, R.C., & Case, R. (2005). Calculus
as a catalyst: The transformation of an
inner-city high school in Boston. Urban
Education, 40, 497-520. Available online
to Sage Journals Online subscribers at:http://uex.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/40/5/497
¬¬ Apply a philosophy of discipline
and management
¬¬ Rely on and develop support systems
Werkema and Case provide a case
study of Jeremiah E. Burke High School
in Boston—a poor urban school with 97%
students of color, three quarters of students from economically challenged families, and performing last of all of Boston’s
high schools on the state’s achievement
exam, MCAS. The school had 1000 students, only one guidance counselor, and
no librarian.
¬¬ Precipitate staff changes
¬¬ Create rituals of visibility and relationship
¬¬ Apply Maslow’s “Hierarchy of
Needs” model
¬¬ Design new educational and remedial programs
¬¬ Implement teacher development
standards
This case study follows the school’s
transformation after losing its accreditation in 1995 with Algebra I as the highest math class available to a school that
graduated 21 seniors with a year of calculus in 2000. The case study focuses
on a calculus class specifically because
¬¬ Develop a case for year-round
schooling
27
School Turnarounds
implementation of such a course was only
possible by transformations made in the
political, technical, and normative aspects
of the program. Politically, resources were
focused on the new goal of developing a
rigorous curriculum; normatively, teachers were required to believe their students
could achieve; and technically, teachers
were hired with the skills and expertise to
provide rigorous coursework. The school,
in 2000, had strong student attendance,
increased the number of students taking
the SATs by 20 percent (to just 5% below the statewide average), and had been
improving its MCAS scores at a faster rate
than the district’s average scores. One
hundred percent of the 2001 graduating
class was accepted by an institution of
higher learning.
1Center on Education Policy, From the Capital to the Classroom: Year Four of the No Child
Left Behind Act. (Washington, DC: Center on Education Policy, 2006). Available online at
.]
2Public Impact, School Turnarounds: Cross-Sector Evidence on Dramatic Organizational Improvement (Lincoln, IL: Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2006) ; Kowal, J. & Hassel, E. A., What Works When: Turnarounds with New Leaders and Staff. (Washington, DC:
Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, 2006).
28
Actions and Results
For more information on school
turnarounds and related topics,
please see:
www.centerii.org
29
School Turnarounds
30
For more information please
contact:
Center on
Innovation &
Improvement
Twin paths to better schools.
121 N. Kickapoo Street
Lincoln, Illinois 62656
217-732-6462
217-732-3696
www.centerii.org
doc_311344161.pdf