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.