Fixing state interventions in struggling school districts

09-14-2010

By Sean Cavanagh/Education Week

Why do state interventions in struggling school districts fail? A report released today by the Center for American Progress examines the educational, political, and organizational shortcomings that undermine state efforts to turn around low-performing schools, fix-it strategies that have received a lot more focus and scrutiny in the No Child Left Behind era. State efforts in local schools often unravel because state and district officials do not make the overall purpose of an intervention clear to the public, which sows mistrust and unrealistic expectations. States also tend to rush to select models for fixing schools, rather than taking a closer look at factors that may be impeding progress, such as the starting points of the students, the instructional skills of the teachers, and the lack of high-quality professional development, according to the report, titled "Levers for Change: Pathways for State-to-District Assistance in Underperforming School Districts." (more…)

Also: See report at Center for American Progress

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