Meeting the Challenge of School Turnaround: Lessons from the Intersection of Research and
Practice
Author(s): Michael Salmonowicz
Source: The Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 91, No. 3 (Nov., 2009), pp. 19-24
Published by: Phi Delta Kappa International
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40345084 .
Accessed: 26/08/2011 09:50
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Phi Delta Kappa International is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Phi
Delta Kappan.
http://www.jstor.org
Bridging Gaps in Education: Struggling Schools
MeetingtheChallenge
ofSchoolTurnaround
_J
"D
_l
Lessons
from
theIntersection
ofResearch
andPractice
schools may
Seven recommendations
forturning
aroundlow-performing
helpleadersfacingthischallenge.
By Michael Salmonowicz
■>»
Thisarticleis
availableinmp3
or podcast
format.
PDKConnect
ofVirginia,
at the University
MICHAEL SALMONOWICZ is a doctoralcandidate ineducationaladministration
Charlottesville,
trueslant.com.
and
a
education
writer
for
Virginia,
contributing
pdkintl.org
To comment
on thisarticle,
log inat
and
pdkintl.org
clickon
PDKConnect.
V91 N3
Kappan 19
1. Ensure that more than enough resources
"Turnaround"has become thenew buzzwordin
education.Fromstatesand districts
are available.
payingforprinAfterexpendingthepoliticalcapitaloftennecescipalsto be trainedas turnaround
specialiststo U.S.
theworstthing
effort,
Secretaryof EducationArneDuncan's call to turn saryto launcha turnaround
around the country's 5,000 lowest-performing thatcan happento schooland districtleadersis not
schools,the conceptof rapid,large-scalereformin havingthe resourcesto deliverpromisedreforms.
individualschools - not just incrementalschool Three questionsshouldbe askedbeforebeginninga
- has takenhold.
turnaround:
improvement
During the 2008-09 school year,I had the opportunityto work in one of the firstturnaround 1. What resourceswillit taketo turnaroundthe
highschools in Chicago Public Schools and to see
school?
whatturnaround
lookslike"on thefrontlines."My
2. How longwilltheseresourcesneed to be
view of the process was enhanced because of the
sustained?
positionsI held duringtheyear.As an Englishand
social studiesteacher,I taughtnine groupsof stu3. Arewe willingand able to guaranteethese
resources?
includes
Anidealmodelforachievingturnaround
twostages.First,a schoolshouldbe floodedwithreto
frompersonnelto technology
sources,everything
should
be
no
funds.
There
question
discretionary
itneeds.Second,once
thattheschoolhaseverything
a schoolhas made considerablestrides(aftertwoto
threeyears),some supportshould be withdrawn
- thinkof the gameJenga- to see
dents in six differentcourses, grappledwith the strategically
challenges of raising student performanceand what resourcesthe school can do withoutwhile
whathas been achieved.It is possible,
managingclassroomdiscipline,participatedin de- maintaining
of
that
thesecondpartofthismodelmaynot
and
staff
sessions,
course,
partmentmeetings
development
and socialized withotherteachers.As directorof work. One of my colleagues in Chicago posed a
the school's readingdevelopmentteam,I led pro- question to me at the start of our turnaround
fessionaldevelopmentactivities,observed teach- process:"Can a schoollikeours"- withonly5% of
in core subjects,in a neighborers, administeredtwo schoolwidereadingassess- studentsproficient
ments, attended leadership team meetings,and hood that had been economicallydepressedfor
spoke regularlywith the directorof the district's decades,and wheredrugabuse,gangviolence,and
highschool turnaroundprogram.I had morecon- teen pregnancywere rampant- "ever succeed
tactwithmoreindividualstudentsthananyteacher withoutall the extraresourcesfroma school turnin the building,as much contactwith individual aroundinitiative?"
This questionstayedwithme all
to inin the building,and year,and itis an important
one forresearchers
teachersas any administrator
a fairamountofaccess to theinnerworkingsofthe vestigate.
administration.
Time is one resourcethatshould be examined
stuThis experiencewas particularly
for
me
veryclosely.In schoolsmarkedforturnaround,
exciting
becausefrom2004 to 2008 I researchedturnaround dentstypically
are farbehindacademically.
Helping
schoolswithcolleaguesfromtheUniversity
ofVir- themmakeup groundcan requiremoretimethan
is allocatedin a normalschool day,espeginia's Curry School of Education. Our research currently
team reviewedthe literatureon low-performing ciallyin middleand highschoolswherestudentsare
behind.Althoughmanyteachers
schools and organizationalturnaround,attended older and further
sessions
with
and
interviewed
dozens
of
commit
time
beyondcontracthours to assiststutraining
facturnaroundspecialistsfrom 18 districtsin four dents,theyoftenare stymiedby before-school
extracurricor
students'
after-school
visited
in
numerous
schools
the
midst
of
turnstates,
ultymeetings
aroundinitiatives,
and surveyedturnaround
special- ularactivities.Designinga longerschooldayis one
istsand theirfaculties.
time;this
wayto guaranteeadditionalinstructional
Frommyyearas a turnaround
teacherandmyex- also meanscreatinga specialcontractthatincreases
I developedthe following turnaround
teachers'salaries.For example,teachers
perienceas a researcher,
KIPP
schools- one ofthemostsuccessfor
in
at
charter
those
schools
and
districts
who
are
suggestions
networksin the nation- work
the
charter
school
of
school
turnaround
or
ful
considering possibility
who alreadyare engagedin theprocess.
10-hourdays(studentsare in schoolforninehours)
A turnaroundprincipalmust identifyand
accomplishthose thingsthat must be done right
- 100%, the firsttime,no exceptions.
20 Kappan November
2009
pdkintl.org
be simple"nutsandbolts"issuesthatdirectly
impact
studentsand teachers,likehavingfacultymembers'
and roomkeysready,proteachingresponsibilities
vidingstudentswithaccurateclass schedules,and
and ready
havingall booksand suppliesinventoried
fordistribution.
They mightrelateto tone-setting;
forexample,all principalstrainedthroughtheUniversityof Virginia'sSchool TurnaroundSpecialist
Programpracticedremarksfor theirfirstfaculty
meetingsin frontof peers.Or theymightbe large
2. Ensure that the principalunderstandswhat
programsthatholdmuchpromisebutalso aremore
"turnaround"means.
complexand proneto setbacks.These largerinitiafromthe tivesmustbe precededbymonthsofstructured,
School turnaroundis quite different
disschoolimprovement
cost-benefit
processwithwhichmostprin- ciplinedplanningand reflection:
analyWhen itcomesto turningaround ses; identification
of assumptions,
cipalsarefamiliar.
possiblealternastunt tives,and potentialunintendedconsequences;and
a school,theprincipalis akinto a professional
driverwho mustwhipa car around 180 degreesin acknowledgement
evidence
ofnewor disconfirming
traffic,
achievinga drasticchangein directionwith- and considerationof dissentingopinions.If school
out causingan accidentor flippingthe car. Princi- leadersare unsureaboutthechancesforsuccessafpals withoutspecialized trainingin school turnaround should spend considerabletime learning
howtheirpeershavegone abouttheprocess.Doing
so can helpa principalcreateheror hisvisionforthe In schools that need to be turned
yearand clearlycommunicateto teacherswhatchal- around, manyor most studentsare likely
lengesand changesto expect.A numberof our re- to have trouble reading.
search team's recent publications(Duke, Tucker,
Salmonowicz,andLevy2008; Duke and Salmonowicz inpress;SalmonowiczandLevyin press)provide
specificdetailsaboutthedecisionsmadeand actions tergoingthroughthisprocess,it maybe bestto pitakenby principalswho were both successfuland lottheprogramon a smallscaleand collectevidence
unsuccessful
it.
beforefullyimplementing
duringthefirstyearof turnaround.
A principalalso should understandwhat turncan be perfect,however.As the
Not everything
aroundmeans to her or his specificdistrictso the year progresses,the administrationand faculty
ideas and goals of both partiesare aligned. This shoulddiscusshow to strikea balancebetweenthe
alignmentcan resultin more targeteduse of re- "fierceurgencyof now" and the need to get things
when rightwhenit comes to implementing
sourcesand can preventmisunderstandings
reforms/prohiring decisions and programmaticchoices are grams.On one hand,waitingto be completelysure
made. The schoolsand districtsstudiedby our re- aboutsomethingmaybe detrimental
to studentsbesearchteam used the Balanced Scorecard(Kaplan cause "timeis something.. . childrendon't have"
and Norton 1996) to setunambiguousgoals and al- (Payne2008: 174). On theotherhand,beingforced
members to abandon or overhaula programmidyearafter
and faculty
low district
leaders,principals,
theyear.My Chicago preventableproblemsoccur can upset the consisto trackprogressthroughout
schoolused a similartool.
tencythatstudentsso badlyneed in school.There
forhow to balancethesecompetis no prescription
interests.
3. Determine key prioritiesthatyou must get
Just rememberthat studentsand
ing
schoollikelyhavebeen
in
a
teachers
them
first
time
and
the
low-performing
right.
get
right
overtheyears.It
Teachers and studentsbear the brunt of the subjectedto myriadfailedreforms
willbe differtime
that
this
to
see
them
is
vital
for
their
a
that
occur
buychanges
during turnaround;
in to theprocessis therefore
essential.Failureto get ent.
theimportant
thingsrightin the openingweeksof
theschoolyearcan hurtteacherand studentmorale 4. Showteachersthatsuccessin challenging
schoolsis possible.
and diminishtrustin theadministration,
damaging
school
Atleastsometeachersin a low-performing
theschool'schancesto improve.To ensurethisdoes
not happen,a turnaroundprincipalmust identify can be expectedto resistchangesthataccompanya
This probablywillstemfromcynicism
andaccomplishthosethingsthatmustbe done right turnaround.
- 100%, thefirsttime,no exceptions.These might - cynicismthatsubstantivechangescan be made
and are requiredto workhalf-dayson some Saturdaysand teachthreeweeksof summerschool. But
forthisextratimetheyare paid 15% to 20% more
teachersin regularpublicschools.
thanneighboring
Half a centuryago, JohnCarroll (1963) made the
student
factoraffecting
case thattimeis theprimary
immost
be
the
from
it
aside
money, may
learning;
in
turnaround
a
to
be
resource
managed
portant
school.
pdkintl.org V91N3
Kappan21
were charterschools, right?""Are you sure they
deschools?"At a professional
weren'telementary
velopmentsessionlaterin theyear,an externalconschools
sultantbriefly
spokeaboutunder-resourced
around the countrythatwere meetingstatestandards.The firstquestionfroma teacherwaswhether
theyweremagnetschoolsor neighborhoodschools.
and researchers
The attitudesof practitioners
a school
clearlydivergeon thesubjectofimproving
and
researcher
or schoolsystem.Talkto a university
Talkto a K- 12
findcautiousoptimism.
yougenerally
oftenabounds.So howshould
teacherandpessimism
In school turnarounds,the principalis schoolleadersintroducepotentiallyresistantfaculty
akin to a professionalstuntdriverwho must membersto theidea ofturningaroundtheirschool?
A good startwould include providingsubstantial
whip a car around 180 degrees in traffic, time
(beforethe schoolyearbegins)forteachersto
achievinga drasticchange in directionwithout readand discusstheresearchfindingsthatmakeaccausing an accident or flippingthe car. ademicshopeful.First,teachersshouldbe presented
withthe workof Sandersand Horn (1998), which
showsthatteachershavea biggerimpacton student
to improvestudentachievementat yourschool?academicprogressthananyotherfactor,including
one teacherwrote,"Get betterstudents!"
race, socioeconomicstatus,and class size. Many
and
I ranacrosssimilarsentiments
whileteachingin teachersareunawareofthisandrelatedresearch,
is
inhibeffectiveness
that
their
believe
last
When
a
chair
detheydeeply
Chicago
year.
department
briefedthe facultyon her tour of high-poverty, itedbyfactors
theycannotcontrol.Nexton thereadbe clear,indisputableevidencethat
in
list
should
schools
another
state,
publichigh
high-achieving
ing
turnedaroundormadebig
teachersgreetedher remarkswithdisbelief."They schoolsjustliketheirshave
so.
toward
Chapters from Karin
steps
doing
Chenoweth'sIts BeingDone (2007) and HowIts BeGuideto SchoolTurning Done (2009), or Teachers'
arounds
Salmonowicz,
Tucker,
(Duke,
Levy, and
ATA GLANCE
ARTICLE
Saunders2008) can help skepticalfacultymembers
see thatitis possibleto achieveturnaround
despitea
Having both conducted research on and
workedin low-performing
schools facinga
school'scurrentlow performance.
large-scale reform to turn them around,
Michael Salmonowicz offersseven recom5. Make literacythe centerpiece of your
mendationsforeducatorsin schools thatare
turnaroundplan.
facingsuchreforms:
thedozens
When our researchteaminvestigated
in
19
conditions
of
Virginiaelpresent
problematic
1. Ensurethatmorethanenoughresources
schools
and
middle
undergoingturnementary
are available.
in
found
one
was
around,
everyschool: low
only
2. Ensurethattheprincipalunderstands
achievement
Salmonowicz,
Tucker,
(Duke,
reading
what"turnaround"
means.
and Levy 2007). I founda similarsituationat my
3. Determinekeyprioritiesthatyou must
were
highschoolin Chicago,where60% ofstudents
getrightthefirsttime- and getthem
level.
below
a
on
or
Twenty-one
6th-grade
reading
right.
percentwerereadingon or belowa 4th-gradelevel;
4. Show teachersthatsuccessin challenging
halfofthesestudentswerein the9thgrade,presumschoolsis possible.
readersin the upper
ably because moststruggling
5. Make literacythecenterpieceofyour
of
school.
out
had
dropped
grades
turnaround
In schoolsthatneed to be turnedaround,many
plan.
or moststudentsare likelyto have troublereading.
6. Providefrequent,
targeted,professional
Therefore,thoseschoolsmustaddressliteracyin a
development.
coursescheduling,
manner.Staffing,
comprehensive
7. Don't scale up untilyou havea model
and
resource
allocation,
thatworks.
professionaldevelopment
all should revolve around the literacyprogram.
There is no one rightwayto approachliteracyin a
and successachievedand thattheworkteachersdo
willbe a determining
factorin thatsuccess.In a recent surveyof 320 teachersin turnaroundschools
(Duke, Konold, and Salmonowicz2009), forexample, teachersidentifiedchange at theirschools as
in areasthatdidnotinvolvetheir
necessary
primarily
own practice(forexample,parentinvolvement,
districtsupport,mathandreadingcurricula).
Andin responseto an open-endedquestionat theend of the
survey- What changesdo you feelshouldbe made
22 Kappan November2009
pdkintl.org
This likelywillresultin neitherschoolshowingsigwhichmaylead
nificantprogressin thenearfuture,
eventhemostidealisticteachers,
alongwithstudents
and communitymembers,to become pessimistic
atthehighschool
ofturnaround
aboutthepossibility
level. A betteroption,in my opinion,would have
been to pour energyand resourcesinto one school
andensureitsucceeded.It thencouldhavebeenused
as a district(and perhapsnational)modelforfuture
initiatives.
turnaround
6. Provide frequent,targeted,professional
Justas it is wise fora school
a
to
pilot programin a classroomor two
successfully
development.
itacrossthebuilding,a district
One of the strengthsof Chicago's high school beforeimplementing
turnaroundone schoolat a given
turnarounddesign was the importanceplaced on shouldsuccessfully
middle,or highschool)beforeatdevelopmentin additionto an- level(elementary,
weeklyprofessional
to do so on a largescale.
nual professionaldevelopmentdays mandatedby tempting
One disappointmentfrom my experiencein
the district.Based on recentresearch,thismaybe
docuin
to
school
and
students
for
teachers
Chicago was that therewas no third-party
any
necessary
see somebenefit.For example,Yoon and colleagues mentationof our turnaroundeffort.There exist
(2007) foundthat only professionaldevelopment dozens,perhapshundreds,of examplesof elemenprogramslasting14 or morehoursshowedsignificanteffects
on studentachievement;
nearlyall ofthe
Need examples of successful turnarounds?
100
hours.
30
and
lasted
between
programs
Howeveroftenteacherscome togetherto learn,
of Texas at Austin.Hope forUrban
Charles A. Dana Center,University
deepeningskillin keyareas- notbroadlycovering
Urban
A
of Nine High-Performing,
High-Poverty,
manyareas- shouldbe thefocus.Justas educators Education: Study
of
D.C.:
U.S.
Education,
Schools.
textbooks
inch
"mile
wide
and
Department
Washington,
Elementary
deep"
fightagainst
and curriculaforstudents,theyshoulddo thesame
Planningand EvaluationService,1999. www.ed.gov/PDFDocs/
when it comes to professionaldevelopment.No
urbaned.pdf.
morethantwoor threeareasshouldbe tackleddurof Texas at Austin.Opening Doors:
Charles A. Dana Center,University
ing a singleschoolyear.One of theseshouldbe litTexas
Five
from
be
Lessons
others
while
the
as
discussed
High Schools. Austin,Texas:
above,
Promising
may
eracy,
Considto
differentiation.
from
.
2001
Charles A. Dana Center,
www.utdanacenter.org/research/
discipline
anything
eringall the changes that can come with school
openingdoors.php.
- new staffmembersand administraturnaround
a
revised
bellschedule,newcurricula,different Duke, Daniel, Pamela Tucker,Melva Belcher,Deloris Crews,J.
tors,
and teams,a revampeddisci- Harrison-Coleman,JenniferHiggins,et al. Lift-Off:
committeestructures
Launchingthe
will
to
be
etc.
teachers
Va.:
School TurnaroundProcess in 10 VirginiaSchools. Charlottesville,
hard-pressed
plinemodel,
findthetimeor energyto undertaketoo manynew
2005.
in
Leaders
for
of
Education,
University Virginia,Partnership
thingsin professionaldevelopment.Pushingthem www.darden.virginia.edu/uploadedFiles/Centers_of_Excellence/PLE/
to do so may lead to disappointing results
VSTPS-Final.pdf.
(Salmonowiczand Levyin press).
school. However, the issue aslow-performing
will
not
be
resolvedunless1) schooland dissuredly
trictleaders assess and acknowledgethe problem
and providenecessaryresourcesto addressit,and 2)
teachersunderstandthatachievementin othersubofreadingandare
jectareaswillfollowthetrajectory
and
flexiblewhen it
be
to
open-minded
willing
comesto theschool'splan ofaction.
7. Don't scale up untilyou have a model that
works.
anxis forschooldistricts
This recommendation
Alinitiatives.
turnaround
ious to expandexisting
work
start
this
to
worthy
thoughitmaybe tempting
in as manyschoolsas possible,as quicklyas possible,
futureefforts
at reformcan be undercutifa proven
programis notin place. Chicago servesas an example of this.Halfwaythroughmyschool'sfirstyear
under the district'sturnaroundinitiative,another
high school was being preppedto begin the turnand resources
aroundprocessin fall2009. Attention
weredivertedbeforewe knewwhetherthe reforms
at our school- the "pilot"school - had worked!
Picucci,Ali,Amanda Brownson,Rahel Kahlet,and AndrewSobel.
Turnaround
Driven to Succeed: High-Performing,
High-Poverty,
Middle Schools. Vol.II: Case Studies. Austin,Texas: Charles A. Dana
of Texas at Austin,2002.
Center,University
researchresultedina numberof
turnaround
ofVirginia
The University
and teachers.Finda complete
aimed at academics,principals,
publications
listat http://sites.google.com/site/turnaroundpublications.
researchteam was led byDanielDuke.Besidesthe
ofVirginia
The University
PamelaTuckerand
author,otherteam membersincludedProfessor
LesleyLanphear,MelissaLevy,and
Higgins,
graduatestudentsJennifer
StephenSaunders.
pdkintl.org V91 N3
Kappan 23
REFERENCES
taryand middleschoolsthathave been successfully
turnedaround,butwe havefewstudiesor storiesof
John."A Model ofSchool Learning."TeachersCollege
thiskindwhenitcomesto highschools(see theside- Carroll,
Record 64, no. 1 (May 1963): 723-733.
case studies).
baron page 23 fora listofturnaround
This is due mainlyto thefactthatmoreturnaround Chenoweth,Karin."It'sBeingDone": Academic Success in
initiativeshave been attemptedin elementaryand UnexpectedSchools. Cambridge,Mass: HarvardEducation
in attainingthis Press, 2007.
middleschoolsand to thedifficulty
Because litlevel.
the
school
of
success
at
high
type
Karin.How It'sBeingDone: UrgentLessons from
tle documentationexists,it is hard to know what Chenoweth,
Schools. Cambridge,Mass.: HarvardEducation
works and what doesn't when it comes to high Unexpected
Press, 2009.
school turnaround.For example,can we simply
transfer
best practicesfroma turnaroundelemen- Duke, Daniel,TimothyKonold,and MichaelSalmonowicz.
newmodel "Teachers'PerceptionsofWhatNeeds to be Changed inLowor
middle
school,ormustan entirely
tary
2009.
ofVirginia.
Schools." Manuscript,
be created?
University
Performing
offered
In additionto thesevenrecommendations
and MichaelSalmonowicz."KeyDecisionsofa
to partner Duke, Daniel,
above, I stronglyencourageuniversities
EducationalManagement,
Turnaround'Principal."
First-Year
withlocal school districtsso more insightinto the
in
and
Administration Leadership, press.
can be gained.
hardworkofhighschoolturnaround
Resultingstudiescan be invaluableto practitioners, Duke, Daniel,Pamela Tucker,MichaelSalmonowicz,and
have neither Melissa Levy."How ComparableArethe PerceivedChallenges
since school-basedpersonneltypically
Schools?" International
to undertakesuchresearch. FacingPrincipalsof Low-Performing
thetimenor objectivity
in
Administration
Educational
Studies
35, no. 1 (2007): 3-21.
inform
also
can
trainingprovidedbyprinFindings
and
policiesgoverning Duke, Daniel,Pamela Tucker,MichaelSalmonowicz,and
cipal preparationprograms
school reformefforts.
Forgingthesetypesof part- Melissa Levy."U-TurnRequired:How Virginia'sFirstSchool
nershipsis one way to bring togetherthe skills, TurnaroundSpecialistsAreMeetingthe Challengesof
knowledge,and passion of practitionersand re- Improving
Schools:
Low-Perform
ingSchools." InImproving
■€ Studies in
searchersin supportofdeservingstudents.
Leadershipand Culture,ed. WayneK. Hoyand
MichaelF. DiPaola, 137-167. Charlotte,N.C.: Information
Age
2008.
Publishing,
Duke, Daniel,Pamela Tucker,MichaelSalmonowicz,Melissa
Levy,and Stephen Saunders. Teachers'Guide to School
2008.
Turnarounds.
Lanham,Md.: Rowman& Littlefield,
Piif H
TQPAY
Kaplan,Robert,and David Norton."Usingthe Balanced
Scorecard as a StrategicManagementSystem."Harvard
Business Review74, no. 1 (1996): 75-85.
Payne,Charles.So Much Reform,So LittleChange.
Cambridge,Mass.: HarvardEducationPress, 2008.
^
0
Around.
Salmonowicz,Michael,and Melissa Levy."Turning
Reform
Maple Shade MiddleSchool: A Principal'sInitial
Journalof Cases inEducationalLeadership,inpress.
Efforts."
and Sandra Horn."ResearchFindingsfrom
Sanders, William,
theTennessee Value-Added AssessmentSystem(TVAAS)
forEducationalEvaluationand
Database: Implications
Research."JournalofPersonnelEvaluationin Education12
(September1998): 247-256.
Yoon, Kwan Suk, Teresa Duncan,SilviaWen Lee, Beth
Scarloss, and KathyShapley.ReviewingtheEvidenceon How
TeacherProfessionalDevelopmentAffectsStudent
Achievement.Issues and AnswersReport,REL 2007 No. 033.
Washington,D.C.: U.S. Departmentof Education,Southwest
2007.
EducationalDevelopmentLaboratory,
"
didn'tinventthesearchengine.
"TunisouttheYahoos
24 Kappan November2009
pdkintl.org
http://ies.ed.
gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/southwest/pdf/REL_200
7033.pdf.