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Story posted March 26, 2013

Results:

• In 2012 the district made AYP for the first time
• During the first four months of the 2012-2013 school year, multiple grades in the elementary and middle schools have seen 7 months to 19 months growth in student learning
  

Fremont County School District #38 is located on the Wind River Indian Reservation. 98% of 440 students are members of the Arapaho Tribe.

CHALLENGE

For many years, the students of Fremont County School District #38 were far behind in their reading, writing, science, and math skills and abilities. Students often transferred from one grade to the next, several grade levels behind where data-driven norms suggested that they be. In addition, frequent changes in district leadership meant no sustained systematic approach to addressing achievement by school leaders. Teachers were left to do what they could on their own and students suffered from years of systems' breakdowns. One of the many negative results of the disorganization plaguing the district was that Fremont #38 was continually unable to meet the Annual Yearly Progress goals set by the state under the No Child Left Behind legislation. The lack of strong systems and leadership at the district, combined with the pervasive sentiment around Fremont County and the state of Wyoming that poverty was to blame for the lack of student achievement, called for a bold visionary who was committed to changing the greater community’s mindset about what FCSD #38 students could and should be achieving.

SOLUTION

Superintendent Jonathan Braack arrived in January of 2012 and installed a research based "Turnaround Schools" model, immediately. The Board of Trustees lamented the years of failure, turnover, and lack of progress by the district and offered their full support of the "Turnaround" process, as well as providing strategic priorities for the District. The Board of Trustees truly wanted and do want a highly successful district focused intently on students.

One of the key steps in the Turnaround model was to revisit and restructure the district’s strategic plan. Instead of being a “side-bar” document created for compliance, Braack says it was transformed to serve as a driving force of all programs, initiatives, and structures for every level of the district.

Superintendent Braack, with the direction of the Board, and support of the staff, set four goals as the guiding targets of the district’s strategic plan. First, foster strong programmatic fidelity to ensure high achievement through systems, assessments, and best practices. Second, create a strong school culture that provides a safe, rigorous, and nurturing learning environment. Third, build effective, efficient, and transparent operations; and finally, promote trust and involvement with parents, families, and others in the community.

District and building leadership, teachers, support staff, parents, and Board members all contributed to the strategic planning process and together they achieved a dramatic turnaround in less than twelve months. Superintendent Braack stated, “Now, we desire to protect and secure our new organization and progress with fidelity and commitment from everyone. We must, if students are to remain our chief focus.”

RESULTS

Stakeholders of FCSD #38 were informed in October 2012, that they had recently met AYP for the first time. But, they are not stopping there. In less than four years, the district hopes to move from being ranked 47th out of 48 Wyoming school districts to becoming one of the Top Ten districts in the state. This is an ambitious goal, but the Superintendent and administration strongly believe it is achievable.

All State and Federal compliance measures are back in place, and continue to be met and safeguards are in place through internal controls to ensure financial and accounting processes remain systems-based. External improvement coaches and auditors have recently confirmed that the District, for the first time in many years, has a fully aligned strategic plan with district improvement planning frameworks and structures, set forth by the mandates of NCLB legislation.

The district’s use of Professional Learning Communities, based on Richard DuFour’s model, allows district personnel to meet each week, and one day a month to intently focus on what students are supposed to be learning and how to ensure they are learning. The correct implementation of the Response to Intervention (RtI) model means FCSD #38 students are correctly identified when they are not achieving as well as they could. As part of RtI, strategically designed and delivered academic interventions are increasing students' skills acquisition.

One of many student-focused improvements involves a new correctly aligned vertical and horizontal math curricula and correctly implemented interventions. Results include 7 months to 19 months growth in student learning during the first 4 months of the 2012-2013 school year for multiple grades in the elementary and middle schools. In addition, between 45% and 84% of 2nd through 8th graders are exceeding average growth for the first 4 months of the 2012-2013 school year. Moreover, the district curriculum is being taught both vertically, grade to grade, and horizontally from each grade level or department.

LESSONS LEARNED

Braack does not sugarcoat the difficulty of engaging in the School Turnaround model: “Such a process is difficult. It’s challenging. It takes guts and thick skin.” However, he believes that it’s critical to create a sense of urgency and to get people emotionally involved in the changes happening in the district. He states that assembling and examining data and needs through an organizational assessment of some form as well as revising or developing a strategic plan are critical first steps to any successful turnaround.

Braack credits the entire administration, teachers, support staff, and community members who have all contributed to the positive changes over the last twelve months in student achievement and says that no one person is responsible. “Many stakeholders have truly stepped up and stepped in. This is the core of real district turnaround.”

Braack also says it’s critical to do the following: “Silence critics with successes, especially when the students and staff are the ones succeeding. Concentrate on big wins early. Embrace effective practices and stop those that are not. Measure and report progress continually and involve all stakeholders in confronting realities head on. Listen more, and talk less. Place student needs and their physical, emotional, and academic safety as the paramount objectives. Always communicate a positive vision. Always. And, celebrate a lot!”

This story is reposted with permission from AASA. The original post can be found here.

For More Information:

Please contact Superintendent Jonathan Braack (jbraack@fremont38.k12.wy.us)