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Turnaround
Success Stories
The Best Leaders in the Neediest Schools
Story posted August 27, 2012
Results
- In 2011, 93.5% of students performed at or above grade level on the state end-of-grade math test, up from just 54.2% in 2008
- The percentage of students at or above grade level in reading rose more than 20 percentage points over that same time
- 80% of students achieved grade level performance in science in 2011, up from just 24.6 percent in 2008 (all gains come in spite of the reality that 97 percent of students qualify as economically disadvantaged)
Summary: District officials in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools believe that effective principals directly impact student achievement and, as a result, are placing the district’s top principals in the neediest schools.
When Suzanne Gimenez became principal at Devonshire Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina, she had one mission: improve student achievement. ...
Creating a Safe Learning Environment
Story posted June 13, 2011. Story updated May 22, 2012.
RESULTS
Belmont is halfway through its three year improvement plan and was recently profiled by the NEA priority schools campaign. Since spending the first year focused on discipline and creating a safe learning environment, Belmont has continued its positive trajectory as evidenced by the following developments:
- Belmont has increased its Performance Index score by 3.5 percent from the 2009-2010 to 2010-2011 school years.
- Promotion rates have risen significantly. In 2008-2009, only 30 percent of ninth graders were promoted, while the next year, the figure went up to 63 percent. In 2010-2011, the number climbed even further—all the way up to 84 percent. A similar pattern emerged for tenth graders.
- College-level test participation has risen dramatically. In 2008-2009, eight juniors took the ACT, and in 2009-2010, that number doubled to 17. In 2010-2011, 80 juniors took the test. 86 percent of Belmont students have been accepted to some form of post-secondary education.
Beyond these results, the boost in school spirit is noticeable among students, educators and administrators. Belmont recently moved to a brand new facility, further shedding their former "Hellmont" reputation. Moving forward, everyone is working to improve upon test results (the school has yet to meet AYP) as well as implement the Common Core State Standards. Just halfway through their turnaround time-frame, Belmont is making incredible strides.
Belmont was a school run by the students. They skipped class and roamed the halls in the hundreds. Fights were a near daily occurrence. Police cars regularly parked outside. An emergency alarm sat next to the cash registers in the cafeteria to sound when students tried to steal the lunch money. Teachers feared for their safety and stayed in classrooms behind locked doors, desperately trying to ...
Story posted April 18, 2012
Results:
- 2,400 more students met state academic standards in 2011 than did in 2005
- Nearly 91% of students met state proficiency standards in reading in 2011, up from 76 percent in 2005 (gains in math have been equally as dramatic)
School District 54 in Schaumburg, IL, always viewed itself as a great school district. Unfortunately, student achievement had remained stagnant for several years. Staff members were becoming increasingly frustrated and complained of low morale.
At the same time, the accountability movement exploded and achievement results became fully transparent to the entire community. Staff and parents now could see firsthand how a particular school was doing and began calling for change.
Guiding Light
After a great deal of research, we concluded that a district-wide implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) was the way for us to go. Several key strategies proved beneficial. ...
Flipping the Classroom: Homework in Class, Lessons at Home
Story posted October 7, 2011
Results:
- Dramatic decreases in student failure rates since 2009
- From 52% to 19% in English Language Arts
- From 44% to 13% in math
- From 41% to 19% in science
- From nearly 33% to less than 10% in social studies
- Dramatic decreases in discipline cases (from 736 for 165 students in 2009 down to 249 for 140 students)
Leo Tolstoy once said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” That is until you meet Rob Townsend, a physical science teacher at Clintondale High School in Clinton Township, Michigan, and his school principal, Greg Green. It was Green who once asked Townsend why so many of his students fail his class the first semester.
Townsend’s initial response went something along the lines of “them not doing their homework, if they were in class at all.”
Built in 1959, in a solidly working class community, Clintondale High School had prided itself on its academic performance and its strong relationship with the community. A half century later, the reality for Clintondale had changed.
The 800-strong student body now comes from a diverse socio-economic background, with 73 percent qualifying for free or reduced lunch; the population mix went from 35 percent minority to 65 percent; and for the past nine years the school has been running at a budget deficit.
The climate and financial changes coupled with an increase in student need and decrease of school staff has contributed to the struggles of Clintondale. The result: In 2009, more than 50 percent of freshman students failed English, and ...
A Full-Service School Fulfills Its Promise
Story posted September 9, 2008, Updated August 29, 2011.
Results:
- 95% of 4th graders scored proficient or better through 2010
- In 2008, 70% of 4th graders scored proficient or better on the New York State's English language arts assessment (compared to 19% passing in 1999)
- In 2008, 94% of students are now medically insured (compared with less than 23% in 1999)
In the late 1990s, teachers and administrators here at Thomas Edison Elementary School in Port Chester, New York, could see that the struggles of neighborhood families were affecting students' safety and well-being. They were also contributing to low academic achievement.
Although Port Chester is surrounded by affluent areas of Westchester County, our community is far from wealthy. More than 80 percent of Thomas Edison's students receive free or reduced-price lunch, and nearly 50 percent are English language learners. The majority of our families are recent immigrants from Hispanic countries. They struggle to afford adequate housing, child care, nutrition, and health care. They also face the stresses that ...
Aiming for a Blue Ribbon in Alabama's Black Belt
Story posted October 3, 2008, Updated August 29, 2011.
Results:
• In 2011, 80.8% of 5th graders met or exceeded standards on the state reading test, up from 77.4% in 2005, with the number of students exceeding state reading standards (the highest performance level on the test) up by 10% from 2010.
On the edge of Alabama, 15 miles from the Mississippi state line, lies Aliceville. With only 5,000 residents, the town relies on agriculture and timber for jobs, and many of its residents live at or below the poverty level. Driving through downtown, you see three closed gas stations with their prices permanently set at $2.58. A right turn takes drivers past an established housing community and a few newer complexes, and then two long, low red brick school buildings come into view. ...
Story posted July 25, 2011
Results:
- Over the past five years, the percent of students meeting or exceeding standards on the ISAT has consistently increased
- The number of students in honors courses is steadily increasing: In the 2009-10 school, 62% of the student body was enrolled in one or more honors class [34% of whom were Black and 37% of whom were low income]
- Attendance at parent-teacher conferences and other contacts are above 90%
Franklin Middle School is located in the heart of an economically challenged neighborhood in the small urban city of Champaign in central Illinois. Though staffed by dedicated adults and attended by hardworking students, Franklin is recovering from a difficult past.
As a result of years of racial discord, segregation, and lawsuits, in January 2002, the Champaign Unit 4 School District adopted a judicial consent decree outlining an educational equity agreement. Key points included establishing processes for parental choice of schools and increased community involvement. ...
Leveraging Resources to Transform a Struggling School
Story posted November 17, 2010
Results:
• Once the lowest performing elementary school in its district, now one of the highest
• Over the past five years, the school has shown significant growth on every state test administered
John Muir Elementary is the oldest of the Merced City Schools. Just five years ago, we were the lowest performing elementary school in the district. Today, we are one of the highest.
Our school serves about 500 children in preschool through Grade 5. 86% of our students receive free or reduced price lunch. Most live in rentals, low cost apartments and multi-family dwellings within walking distance of school; however, approximately 200 children are bused to Muir daily from the “unhoused” Loughborough area.
Our families are not only stricken by poverty, but they also experience generational gangs, drug use and violence. We have an abundance of grandparents struggling to parent their children’s children and students in and out of foster care.
Yet we at John Muir believe our students can learn, and we work to develop relationships with our students and families so they believe that as well. And we celebrate our students. We celebrate Perfect Attendance, growth on formative assessments and ...
Transforming a School Step by Step
Story posted April 7, 2010. Results updated July 23, 2010.
Results:
• In 2010, the school performed around or above state averages on both reading and math assessments, despite serving a significantly more disadvantaged student population
• The school has made Adequate Yearly Progress each of the past four years
When Melissa Glee-Woodard became principal of Maryland’s Lewisdale Elementary School four years ago, it was struggling. The school was in the dreaded “school improvement” process because of the performance of multiple subgroups of students, and it needed change.
Change is what it got. But not the dramatic “fire-all-teachers” change that has been making the papers. Rather, Glee-Woodard inspired teachers, parents and students with a new vision. The staff began focusing on student data in a meaningful way. Targeted professional development addressed areas of weakness in the instructional program. And new summer programs ensured that students kept their academic success going even when school was not technically in session.
As a result, Lewisdale has made AYP every year Glee-Woodard has been principal. The National Association of Elementary School Principals recently honored her for her transformational leadership.
She joined us for a conversation about the school and its journey.
Public School Insights: How would you describe Lewisdale?
Glee-Woodard: Lewisdale Elementary School is located in an urban setting in Prince George's County, Maryland. We are in the backyard of the University of Maryland, College Park. It is a working-class neighborhood. 80% of our students are ...
Story posted March 17, 2010. Results updated August 27, 2010.
Results:
• One of the top-performing elementary schools in Detroit
• 3rd and 4th graders outperformed the state as a whole on both reading and math standardized tests--and 100% of them scored proficient or above on math tests
When Principal Theresa Mattison came to Carstens Elementary in 1997 “achievement was zero.” Student behavior was a problem. Some staff seemed uncommitted. As parent liaison Abby Phelps puts it, “This school was in the middle of chaos.”
Today Carstens is a beacon of light for the surrounding community. It is one of the top-performing schools in Detroit and in 2009 third graders at this school—where 98% of students are from high poverty homes—outscored the state as a whole on all tested subjects.
How did the school turn itself around? School staff points to the leadership of Dr. Mattison. Dr. Mattison points back to her incredible staff. And everyone recognizes the importance of meeting more than just the academic needs of students.
Members of the Carstens community recently told us the school’s story. In on the conversation were Principal Theresa Mattison, parent liaison Abby Phelps, school social worker Gail Nawrock, and teachers Barbara Haug, Vannessa Jones, Rebecca Kelly and Violet Kiricovski.*
Public School Insights: How would you describe Carstens Elementary?
Violet Kiricovski: Carstens shares the Comer philosophy. And we all work together. Teamwork really is our strong point.
Rebecca Kelly: The way I would describe Carstens is that it is actually more than a school. I just saw a presentation in which they described it as a “beacon of light.” And the parents, the families, the students and the businesses are all working together.
Abby Phelps: Carstens incorporates a city philosophy. We offer all services. We have it all.
Public School Insights: What kind of a population does the school serve?
Barbara Haug: We serve a deserving population. Statistically, they are considered high poverty—98% of them come from high poverty homes. And our population is about 98% African-American. But we do not think that statistics are something that describes somebody’s potential. It just describes the situation that needs to be considered when you look at the needs of the individual child or the children. What it boils down to is that they are children who deserve a ...
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A VISION FOR GREAT SCHOOLS
On this website, educators, parents and policymakers from coast to coast are sharing what's already working in public schools--and sparking a national conversation about how to make it work for children in every school. Join the conversation!
