Turn-around council – A Post-secondary preparedness strategy
Form a panel of experts and community members drawing from the local PTA, partner organizations such as the NUL and ACORN, a local university and retired educators.
Approach a sympathetic school board member to get a regular place on the agenda for reports from the committee.
Focus discussions on the schools identified for turnaround under the School Improvement Grant program, local schools identified as “dropout factories” which graduate fewer than 60% of their students, or schools identified by your state as the bottom 5%. The goal should be to actively participate in the selection and implementation of methods to improve turnaround or low performing schools.
Approach the principal and teacher leaders in these schools. Invite them to speak with your group. Ask questions such as:
- What would it take to implement extended learning time or an early college high school program here?
- How could we get an instructional coach for teachers?
- How can we support you in winning time for teachers to work together to plan students’ lessons?
- How could we set up a system where each student has an advisor that helps them plan and prepare for life after high school?
- How can we help reconnect students with school?
- How can we establish a system that identifies students who are at risk of dropping out? What services do these students need?
You can also survey the students in these schools about their needs and experiences. This is especially useful for high school students.
Use the attached reporting instrument to regularly update the national education department. Reports should include members and coalition partners, a summary of your plan to participate in the turnaround process for the year, and records of conducting at least two meetings annually with the district and state education department leadership.
These councils or bodies should pay particular attention to whether turnaround plans impact the school district’s de-segregation status, and to the formation of charter schools and proposals to close schools in communities of color, but may choose to expand their mission and function beyond these items to other educational matters of interest such as teacher distribution, discipline and resource equity.