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Denver’s North High School looks like a persistently struggling school. Back in 2006 (and also 2007), only 7% of 9th graders and 5% of 10th graders scored proficient or advanced on state math tests. Just 22% of 9th graders and 23% of 10th graders did so on reading tests. Fast forward to 2009. Just 6% of 9th graders and 3% of 10th graders met state proficiency standards in math. 22% of 9th graders and 34% of 10th graders did so in reading. It was the district’s lowest performing high school and in the bottom 5% of schools in the state as indicated by assessment scores. The district was recently awarded over a million dollars in grants to improve it.

Knowing this, you might not guess that North has “turned around.” But it has, if you use the definition of the term currently in vogue.

In 2007, the school’s entire faculty was dismissed (though they could reapply for their jobs). The next year, about 75% of the faculty was new. There were other changes, too. The school was selected to participate in a program that focuses on teacher training and development to change expectations and drive student performance, includes a math and English curriculum and provides access to study skills programs, among other things. The school would also develop a program called the Institute for World Learning and institute “Learning Families,” a homeroom-type classroom giving each student an advisor for academic support. Yet two years later, scores had hardly budged, with graduation rates rising slightly. Of course, reforms take time, and maybe this is the start of a new day for the school.*

But here’s the kicker—at the time of this redesign, “North had shown real improvement in scores in recent years, but those gains weren’t determined to be sufficient” (North Denver News, 1.5.07). In the few years prior, it had implemented a Freshman Academy to ease the transition from 8th grade to high school and the AVID program to develop students’ organizational skills. It had increased parent involvement and the number of AP classes offered at the school. But rather than allow time for improvement, teachers were replaced and a new plan brought in.

The district seems to have learned from this experience. In the DPS application for intervention grants, the district plans to “transform” North, noting:

It is possible that one reason for North’s inability to improve over many years of reform is that [it] suffers from what education researcher Frederick Hess calls “policy churn.” Policy churn, in effect, is the constant introduction of new, big changes/reforms with significant attention and responses, which eventually turn out to be short-lived until a new reform effort is introduced. This is why the goal of this transformation effort at North is to build upon the improvement efforts currently underway at North and to fill in gaps that have yet to be addressed rather than introduce a new program, new staff, or new community process. [emphasis in original]

Had Denver tried this strategy back in 2007, dedicating the funds they spent on the redesign to something more like this transformation process, maybe the school would be in a better place today…and a million dollars would be available for another school. Of course, maybe not—additional time and support for the initial reforms at North might have made no difference, and today they might be applying for funds to “turnaround.” We will never know.

I sincerely hope that North will see much faster improvement this time around. And I hope other districts can learn from this experience. Simply replacing staff, even with the best of intentions and a well-designed plan of action, won’t necessarily get quick results. And before jumping to this option, perhaps giving the seeds of change time to sprout would lead to some fruitful outcomes.

*There were some improvements in test scores in 2010—9% of 9th graders and 7% of 10th graders met proficiency standards in math, and 29% of 9th graders and 29% of 10th graders did so in reading. (Results were released after improvement money was awarded)

Image by Zanchetta Fabio