District & School Improvement
Breaking the Habit of Low Performance: Successful School Restructuring Stories
While many districts and schools commit significant resources, both human and fiscal, to school improvement, little real improvement remains the norm. Yet, some schools and districts have proven that even chronically failing schools can succeed at rapid improvement. Public Impact, working on behalf of the Center on Innovation & Improvement, examined five schools that successfully restructured. At each of these schools, multiple factors enabled them to kick the low-performance habit. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2009)
Authors: Dana Brinson and Lauren Morando Rhim
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Characteristics of Improved School Districts: Themes from Research
This report was based on the analysis of more than 80 research reports and articles, many on districts that have shown improvement at the elementary level. The analysis identified 13 common themes clustered into four broad categories: Effective Leadership, Quality Teaching and Learning, Support for Systemwide Improvement, and Clear and Collaborative Relationships. The report also sets forth questions for districts related to each characteristic and includes an extensive bibliography. (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in Olympia, Washington, 2004)
Authors: G. Sue Shannon and Pete Bylsma
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Corrective Action in Low Performing Schools: Lessons for NCLB Implementation from First-generation Accountability Systems
Exploring lessons we can learn from the experiences of states that instituted NCLB-like accountability systems before 2001, the authors looked at the experiences of three smaller states (Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina), four larger ones (California, Florida, New York, Texas), and two large districts (Chicago and Philadelphia). Their analysis of evaluative reports and policy documents as well as interviews with state officials and researchers generated eight lessons: sanctions are not the fallback solution; no single strategy has been universally successful; staging should be handled with flexibility; intensive capacity building is necessary; a comprehensive set of strategies seems promising; relationship-building needs to complement powerful programs; competence reduces conflict; and strong state commitment is needed to create system capacity. (Education Policy Analysis Archives, 2005)
Authors: Heinrich Mintrop and Tina Trujillo
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Developing Early Warning Systems to Identify Potential High School Dropouts
The following two resources are intended to support educators at all levels of the public school system in building data systems that identify probable high school dropouts before they leave school. The first resource, an early warning system guide, discusses the factors that help predict the probability that individual students will eventually drop out of high school prior to graduating and includes step-by-step instructions for building an early warning system. The second resource, an early warning system tool, allows educators to input student-level data and automatically calculate whether individual students are on track to graduate or are at risk of dropping out. (National High School Center, 2008)
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Educational Architects: Do State Education Agencies Have the Tools Necessary to Implement NCLB?
The second report in a series of Center on Education Policy publications on the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) examines the capacity of state education agencies to carry out the requirements of NCLB. An analysis of survey data from all 50 states and interview data of 15 high-ranking state education officials from 11 states revealed four major capacity challenges: (1) limitations in staffing and infrastructure; (2) inadequate federal and state funding; (3) a lack of sufficient guidance and technical support from the U.S. Department of Education; and (4) barriers in NCLB and within state education agencies. (Center on Education Policy, 2005)
Authors: Angela Minnici and Deanna D. Hill
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Evaluating Supplemental Educational Service Providers: Suggested Strategies for States
This guidebook is designed to help state educational agencies (SEAs) create an effective system to evaluate state-approved supplemental educational service (SES) providers. The guidebook will help readers to determine evaluation measures, identify possible evaluation methodologies, and address the technical and practical considerations associated with an evaluation. Although this guidebook is of primary interest to states, it can also help school districts and SES providers understand their roles in the evaluation process. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2006)
Authors: Steven M. Ross, Allison Potter, and Jennifer Harmon
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Framework for an Effective Statewide System of Support
The CII framework considers the broader context that the state provides for school improvement, including the incentives and opportunities for constructive change as well as systemic attention to the pre-service preparation and licensing of school leaders and teachers, state data and information systems (including school improvement processes and resources), state initiatives to place high-quality school leaders and teachers in hard-to-staff districts and schools, and the creation of “new space” for innovative schools. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2009)
Author: Sam Redding
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Handbook on Effective Implementation of School Improvement Grants
Aimed at facilitating rapid improvement of persistently low-achieving schools through the intervention models and strategies outlined in the 2009 federal School Improvement Grant (SIG), the Handbook on Effective Implementation of School Improvement Grants [K-12] provides explanations of the required and recommended models and strategies, references to the research, and connections to useful resources. The Handbook was developed by the five USED national content-oriented comprehensive centers (Assessment and Accountability, Innovation and Improvement, Instruction, Teacher Quality, and High School) and edited by staff at the Center on Innovation and Improvement. The intended audience includes state education agencies (SEAs), local education agencies (LEAs), charter management organizations (CMOs), education management organizations (EMOs), organizational partners engaged in school improvement, and schools engaged in rapid improvement. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2010)
Editors: Carole L. Perlman and Sam Redding
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Handbook on Restructuring and Substantial School Improvement
The purpose of this handbook is to present modules that will assist states, districts, and schools in establishing policies, procedures, and support to successfully restructure schools. The handbook is informed by leading experts on restructuring and school improvement. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2007)
Editor: Herbert J. Walberg
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Restructuring (PowerPoints)
What Works When (Hassel)
Change and Including Stakeholders (Perlman)
Sustaining Change (Redding)
Statewide Systems of Support (Rhim)
Restructuring Tools (Rhim-Hassel)
Handbook on Statewide Systems of Support
This handbook is for state leaders who are designing or revising statewide systems of support for schools identified as low-performing, and for district and school leaders who are seeking to improve school performance. The handbook surveys the research related to statewide systems of support, presents the experience and insights of educational leaders in how such support can be organized, and suggests actionable principles for improving schools. Articles within the handbook provide a conceptual framework for thinking about a state system, profile activities in selected states, and tools that may be used to strengthen a statewide system of support. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2007)
Authors: Sam Redding and Herbert J. Walberg
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How Can State Education Agencies Support District Improvement? A Conversation amongst Educational Leaders, Researchers, and Policy Actors
In the summer of 2007, The Education Alliance at Brown University and The Urban Education Policy Program convened over fifty state education leaders, superintendents and district leaders, researchers, and other educational actors to collectively consider the challenges and possibilities of state education agencies to catalyze and support district improvement. More than a traditional proceedings document, this report contains a detailed analysis of the themes and ideas that were generated by participants. The cross-stakeholder discussions resulted in the identification of multiple strategies that can be utilized by state education agencies to leverage their capacity and provide meaningful support to districts and schools. (The Education Alliance at Brown University, 2008)
Authors: Chris Unger, Brett Lane, Elisabeth Cutler, Saeyun Lee, Joye Whitney, Elise Arruda, and Martin Silva
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Learning Disabilities Resource Kit: Specific Learning Disabilities Determination Procedures and Responsiveness to Intervention
This kit helps schools and districts navigate changes related to specific learning disability (SLD) determination and responsiveness to intervention (RTI). Included in the kit is general information on SLD determination and RTI, tools for getting started, PowerPoint presentations, and resources for parents. In particular, the School-Based RTI Practices section provides information from elementary schools around the country that are implementing RTI. Topics include school-wide screening, progress monitoring, tiered service delivery models, data-based decision-making, parent involvement, and fidelity of implementation. (National Research Center on Learning Disabilities, 2007)
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Making Progress on Essential Standards and Assessment Reforms
This webinar, presented April 21, 2009, describes innovative state-level strategies to define, develop, and benchmark (nationally and internationally) rigorous college and career-ready core standards. These strategies include considerations for English learners, students with disabilities, and low-performing students. The presentation examines the implications of such standards on high-quality assessment systems, such as the necessity for evidence-based principles and best practices for rigor and quality, methods to ensure proper PK-13 articulation, approaches to identifying and integrating content knowledge and essential skills. Examples from states that are adhering to best practices are provided, as is a discussion of how state policies and strategies based on best practices will play out depending on whether the state is working alone, as part of a regional consortium, or linking to a national core. (Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center, 2009)
Presenter: Stanley Rabinowitz
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Meeting the Needs of Significantly Struggling Learners in High School: A Look at Approaches to Tiered Intervention
This report provides information on Response to Intervention (RTI) and its implications for use at the secondary school level. It defines RTI models, provides a description of two RTI approaches, shares a snapshot of implementation at the high school level, outlines eight issues related to RTI at the high school level and provides many resources to support this work. (National High School Center, 2007)
Author: Helen Duffy
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New Roles in Response to Intervention: Creating Success for Schools and Children
This resource, a collection of position papers from a myriad of professional organizations, provides general information about Response to Intervention (RTI) and various school personnel's roles in RTI. (Center on Instruction, 2006)
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Non-Regulatory Guidance for Designing Schoolwide Programs
This March 2006 document offers a renewed vision for schoolwide programs, both as a reform strategy and as a means of realizing the high standards for student achievement envisioned by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). It is intended as a companion document to the statute and regulations and a technical assistance resource. (U.S. Department of Education, 2006)
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Reaching Capacity: A Blueprint for the State Role in Improving Low Performing Schools and Districts
Drawing on research with principals and superintendents in struggling, urban districts, this Rennie Center report makes recommendations for enhancing state intervention capacity in areas where school administrators cite the greatest need. (Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, 2005)
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Reaching New Heights: Turning Around Low Performing Schools – A Guide for Governors
This paper supports the idea that states should improve low performing schools through partnerships with districts. A coherent district system of instructional support and a unified district vision that drives continuous improvement is essential. Furthermore, with increasing numbers of schools identified for improvement, states should customize their accountability systems to identify the lowest-performing schools and concentrate resources on the schools most in need. (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, 2003)
Authors: Christopher Mazzeo and Ilene Berman
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RTI Classification Tool and Resource Locator (CTRL)
This Web-based self-assessment and resource filtering tool is intended for state education agency staff to determine their state’s level of RTI implementation and find resources that are relevant to their unique needs. (Center on Instruction, 2009)
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The School District Role in Educational Change: A Review of the Literature
Evidence suggests that successful school districts use a large repertoire of strategies to mobilize and support system-wide success in student learning, and that the impact of the strategies depends on their comprehensive use in a coordinated way, not the selective enactment of some over others or in isolation. (International Centre for Educational Change at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 2003)
Author: Stephen E. Anderson
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School Districts and Educational Improvement Bibliography: An Annotated Bibliography of Research, 1988 to the present
Current annotated bibliography of research on school and district improvement. (Annenberg Institute for School Reform, last updated May 2007)
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School Restructuring Under No Child Left Behind: What Works When? A Guide for Education Leaders
This guide provides users with a step by step approach to restructuring, from organizing a district team and assessing the district's capacity to govern restructuring decisions to conducting a school-by-school analysis and implementing a restructuring plan. The text of the guide is supplemented with templates, checklists, and other practical tools. This series of four papers is designed to help district leaders understand their options when a school is identified for restructuring under NCLB. Each one summarizes what is known about when and under what circumstances each of these restructuring options works to improve student achievement. (The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, 2006)
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The following links take you to each of the four papers:
Reopening as a Charter School
Turnarounds With New Leaders and Staff
Contracting With External Education Management Providers
State Takeovers of Individual Schools
School Turnarounds: A Review of the Cross-Sector Evidence on Dramatic Organizational Improvement
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, schools are required to restructure after five consecutive years of inadequate progress. Yet, while the process of turning around a failing school is fundamental to NCLB, there is a limited literature base documenting successful turnarounds in the education sector. This evidence review synthesizes the literature from the education sector and across multiple other sectors – public, nonprofit, and private – related to successful restructuring of low-performing schools. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2007)
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Singing Out of the Same Songbook: The Standards Aligned System in Pennsylvania
This document describes the evolution of Pennsylvania’s current statewide system of support, which is marked by two themes: a focus on root causes and increased coherence. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2009)
Author: Adam Tanney
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State Data Systems: A Solution-Finding Report
This document reports on a data system that can generate customized reports for stakeholders analyzing student and school performance and on a web-based data system that guides school improvement planning through the retrieval of school data, multi-year, disaggregated student assessment data, and suggested resources for addressing improvement. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2009)
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State Supports for Low-Performing Schools and Districts in the Northeast and Islands Region
This webinar featured the newly published report, "How Eight State Education Agencies in the Northeast and Islands Region Identify and Support Low-Performing Schools and Districts." The report found that the eight agencies have created supports and rationales to put federal accountability principles into practice. Carole Urbano of REL-NEI moderated; co-authors Sonia Caus Gleason of Learning Innovations at WestEd and Leslie Hergert of REL-NEI presented and discussed the report's findings. (Regional Educational Laboratory-Northeast and Islands, 2009)
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State Systems of Support under NCLB: Design Components and Quality Considerations
Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), state education agencies are required to assume new roles and responsibilities. Among these is the establishment of a state system to support schools identified for improvement under the Act. Conceptualizing and operationalizing these systems of support has been a challenge for many state agencies, in part because this role is a departure from the traditional compliance monitoring activities with which state officials are most familiar. This brief presents data from a national survey of state administrators to describe trends in the implementation of this NCLB mandate. The authors begin by outlining the common components of state systems of support under NCLB and then suggest a set of research-supported indicators of the quality of those supports. Their purpose is to provide state officials and policy analysts a framework with which to assess and refine current and planned systems of state support. (American Institutes for Research, 2008)
Authors: Kerstin Carlson Le Floch, Andrea Boyle, and Susan Bowles Therriault
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Strengthening the Statewide System of Support: A Manual for the Comprehensive Center and State Education Agency
Strengthening the Statewide System of Support is a technical assistance manual and a companion to the Handbook on Statewide Systems of Support. These two documents, with additional resources at the Center on Innovation and Improvement, enable a state education agency (SEA), with technical assistance from a Comprehensive Center, to self-assess its system of support and plan for its improvement. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2007)
Authors: Sam Redding and Herbert J. Walberg
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Tough Decisions: Closing Persistently Low-Performing Schools
This paper describes why and how four urban districts—Denver Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, Hartford Public Schools, and Pittsburgh Public Schools—closed schools for low performance. It focuses on two distinct closure strategies: 1) closing school buildings and dispersing students to other schools; and 2) closing schools and reopening the schools with new leadership and staff, often called “starting fresh.” Written for state and district officials, this paper is designed to help decision makers who are contemplating closing schools for performance reasons learn from districts that have already tackled this difficult challenge. (Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2009)
Author: Lucy Steiner
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Turnaround Challenge Reports
Mass Insight offers several resources from the completion of the first phase of its work on school turnaround design, among them an executive summary, main report (with supplement), and PowerPoint presentation. (Mass Insight Education and Research Institute, to date)
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Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools
This guide identifies practices that can improve the performance of chronically low-performing schools—a process commonly referred to as creating "turnaround schools." The four recommendations in this guide work together to help failing schools make adequate yearly progress. (U.S. Department of Education, 2008)
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