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Restructuring that Worked. Dana Brinson, Consultant, Public Impact Lindsay Krey, Principal, Holabird Academy, Baltimore, MD Tommie McCarter, Principal, Westwood High, Memphis, TN Pacesetter Institute, Princeton, NJ July 23, 2009. Agenda.
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Restructuring that Worked Dana Brinson, Consultant, Public Impact Lindsay Krey, Principal, Holabird Academy, Baltimore, MD Tommie McCarter, Principal, Westwood High, Memphis, TN Pacesetter Institute, Princeton, NJ July 23, 2009
Agenda Public Impact
Forthcoming from the Center on Innovation and Improvement Public Impact
Introduction For “Breaking the Habit” we were interested in: The restructuring option selection process; The roles principals, teachers, district and state-level individuals, and outside contractors played in the restructuring; What, if any, additional resources the school accessed; Challenges and barriers overcome; and What interviewees credited with their success. Public Impact
IntroductionRestructuring under NCLB Restructuring Options Option 1— Charter Conversion Option 2—Replacing Staff and/or Principal Relevant to Failure Option 3—Contracting with Outside Provider Option 4—State Takeover Option 5—Other Major Restructuring of the School’s Governance Public Impact
IntroductionNational Context of Restructuring More than 90% of schools in restructuring have chosen “Option Five.” “Option Five” can arguably provide a loophole for less rigorous restructuring efforts. For many schools, some of the other four options are not truly options. Public Impact
Successful school restructuring: Five Stories Public Impact
School Profiles Public Impact
Restructuring Profiles Public Impact
Restructuring Characteristics Public Impact
Common Themes Role of State Role of District Staff Replacement/Value of Leadership Funding and Additional Resources Public Impact
Reflections of two principals Public Impact
Principals’ Reflections Before and After “Doing” Restructuring Right Three Critical Changes District and State Roles Sustainability Public Impact
Holabird Academy, Baltimore, MD Before Restructuring • K-5 grade configuration • Enrollment dropped to 160 students • High teacher turnover • Strained relationships between existing principal and teachers, district and community. • Expectations of closure contributed to poorly-maintained physical plant Public Impact
Holabird Academy, Baltimore, MD Restructuring Implementation Public Impact
Westwood High School, Memphis, TN Before Restructuring 7-12 grade configuration Enrollment of over 1000 students Neighborhood violence and gang activity affected school Weak relationships between school and stakeholders including families and community partners. Public Impact
Westwood High School, Memphis TN Restructuring Implementation Public Impact
Principals’ Reflections Before and After “Doing” Restructuring Right Three Critical Changes District and State Roles Sustainability Public Impact
Principals’ Reflections Before and After “Doing” Restructuring Right Three Critical Changes District and State Roles Sustainability Public Impact
Principals’ Reflections Before and After “Doing” Restructuring Right Three Critical Changes District and State Roles Sustainability Public Impact
Principals’ Reflections Before and After “Doing” Restructuring Right Three Critical Changes District and State Roles Sustainability Public Impact
“We provide restructuring schools like Box Elder with a thorough school review, a list of tailored action items, professional development opportunities, and access to improvement grants. But all the help in the world does not matter unless a school actually does something with it. The leaders at Box Elder decided they were going to focus on academics and improve student performance. They made a plan and stuck with it. They made no excuses. The leaders, the teachers, and the students made the restructuring successful.” --Jack O’Connor School Support System Specialist Montana Office of Public Instruction Public Impact
State education agencies are uniquely positioned to develop and implement a strategic approach to tackle restructuring goals given the challenges. Public Impact
A Parting Challenge Based on what you’ve heard from these principals, what could you do TOMORROW that would not require an SEA policy change to improve your support to schools in restructuring? Based on the themes identified, what barriers do you see hindering school restructuring in your state? What, if anything, could you do to remove or diminish the barriers? Public Impact
Dana Brinson Consultant dana_brinson@publicimpact.com 919-942-4250