Turning around low-performing schools has become a national imperative—both because of the numbers of young people impacted and the effect that low academic performance and limited skills have on our communities and country. In the Northwest, more than a thousand Title I schools have been labeled as in need of improvement for the 2009–2010 school year. One of them is the small, rural Madras (OR) High School, which turned to Education Northwest for help in identifying school improvement strategies.

The Jefferson County School District took advantage of their high school’s status as a Tier 2 School Improvement Grant (SIG)-identified school to conduct a review of six schools in the district. Teams from Education Northwest spent two days in each school conducting focus groups, interviews, classroom observations, and document reviews. According to team leader Deborah Davis, “We were looking for evidence of research-based practices in three broad areas: instruction, leadership, and environment. We developed the review process based on what research has shown about schools that turn around rapidly, and we also looked at how the requirements for the SIG funds matched up with the review findings.”

Davis’s team brought to this Central Oregon district its extensive experience in development of school review processes, Title I school improvement, and high school reform. Team members also drew on their backgrounds in working with English language learner students and content expertise in reading and math. Davis points out that “teachers and administrators in this district are working very hard and there are a number of innovations in place, but they are realizing that they must focus and target efforts to clearly meet the needs of their entire population.” All elementary schools feed into the single middle and high schools, and the result is that the secondary schools have a demographic base that’s roughly one third Hispanic, one third Native American, and one third white. “This presents challenges and opportunities,” Davis explains. “When you ask anyone in the district, ‘What is your strength?’ invariably you will hear, ’It is our diversity.’ Yet meeting different cultural and linguistic needs is an ongoing challenge.”

The team compiled the data they collected into reports for each school—highlighting strengths and identifying areas that are impeding students’ academic growth. Comparing their findings to the What Works Clearinghouse’s research-based framework on turnaround schools, the team also presented a set of overarching district-level recommendations. “These reviews are designed to be a first step to turnaround,” says Davis. “They help get everyone on the same page to take the next step with a clearer understanding of what they are doing well and what they need to change in order to ensure each student is given the opportunity to meet his or her potential.”

For more information on school turnaround reviews, contact Deborah Davis at 503.275.9644. Learn about additional school improvement resources available from Education Northwest.