Hope for Urban Education: A Study of
Nine High-Performing High-Poverty
Urban Elementary Schools
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Author: Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin
Publication Date: 1999
Full text available online at: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/urbanhope/
Description (written by WestEd)
This 21-page report identifies the characteristics of nine elementary schools in seven
states that changed themselves and attained higher levels of achievement than most
schools in their states or most schools in the nation in reading and mathematics. All are
urban schools with high concentrations of students from low-income backgrounds, some
as high as 80 percent.
Differences among the schools included the following:
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Student populations ranged from 283 to 1,171.
Six schools had predominantly African American students, one school had a
mostly Latino population, and at another, Asian Americans predominated.
Only two of the schools used nationally known comprehensive school reform
models (Accelerated Schools and Success For All).
Although none were high-performing five years ago, some made dramatic
improvements in three or four years, while others took five years or longer.
In some cases, the district played a major role in the school's improvement efforts;
in other cases, the district played a modest role.
A few schools made dramatic improvements without great staff turnover, while
others had substantial turnover during the reform process.
Similarities across all schools were:
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School leaders identified and pursued an important, visible, yet attainable first
goal. They focused on the attainment of this first goal, achieved success, and then
used their success to move toward more ambitious goals.
School leaders redirected time and energy spent on adult conflicts toward unity of
effort to help students learn.
School leaders created a collective sense of responsibility for school
improvement.
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Educators fostered in students a sense of responsibility for appropriate behavior,
and they created an environment in which students were likely to behave well.
Discipline problems became rare.
The quantity and quality of time spent on instructional leadership activities
increased. Principals spent more time helping teachers with instructional issues
and they placed other educators in positions of instructional leadership. School
leaders constantly challenged teachers and students to higher levels of academic
attainment. They used data to identify, acknowledge, and celebrate strengths and
to focus attention and resources on areas of need.
Educators aligned instruction to the standards and assessments required by the
state or the school district.
School leaders made sure that teachers had adequate materials, equipment, and
professional development.
School leaders created opportunities for teachers to work, plan, and learn together
around instructional issues. Time was designated to ensure collaboration.
Educators made efforts to win the confidence and respect of parents, primarily by
improving their children's achievement. Then educators built strong partnerships
with parents in support of student achievement.
School leaders created additional time for instruction within and beyond the
regular school day.
Educators persisted through difficulties, setbacks, and failures.
Recommendations from the findings across the schools are:
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Build the capacity of principals to provide instructional leadership and channel
resources to schools for these activities.
Create clear, measurable, and rigorous school accountability with support, time
for collaboration, and flexibility at the school level.
Bring cohesion among state and federal legislation, policies and programs for
comprehensive school reform.
Provide resources for more time for instruction outside the school day.
Assist schools to build parent partnerships and research how districts can better
support the improvement of teaching and learning in high-poverty schools.
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