Background Issues

Our children's education is too important to wager on unproven practices and policies. Research-based knowledge is essential to developing and implementing sound policies and enhancing professional practice. Too often, policy makers, even those that herald the importance of "data-driven decision-making," grasp at the latest reform fad trumpeted by the media.

Lost in many recent discussions of school improvement is the critical need to remedy achievement gaps - the disparity in performance between groups of students, particularly based on race and class.

Recent federal and state policies target our "lowest performing" schools for intervention. In December of 2009, following the lead of the federal government, the state passed legislation requiring schools performing in the lowest five percent on state assessments to implement one of four school improvement strategies: closure, restart (as a charter school), turnaround, or transformation.

While it is extremely important to improve chronically low-performing schools, there is little research suggesting that these strategies will improve student learning or address achievement gaps. There is no evidence that closing schools and moving control over educational programming to educational contractors, educational management companies, and for-profit or non-profit charter school operators raises student achievement or is a viable school improvement strategy (Saltman, 2010).

Similarly, no research supports the mass removal of staff as a turnaround strategy (Advocates for Children and Youth, 2010). In fact, the consequences associated with such strategies may be damaging to communities, school districts and children. Most low-performing schools are marked by high levels of staff turnover and mistrust between adults. The collaboration required to turn them around requires more stability, not less.

What We Need

Research-Based School Improvement Strategies: Research shows that student learning increases when staff members are supported with high quality professional development, given the opportunity to collaborate with their colleagues, have access to resources and tools that foster growth, and are supported by strong leaders (Silva, 2008). Legislation forcing schools into one of four improvement models should be amended to eliminate strategies not supported by the evidence.

Multiple Measures of School Success: We can certainly learn a good deal about educational quality through student achievement data. But in too many places, "student learning" has become a euphemism for standardized test scores. Evaluating the merits of a school or a reform practice calls for mixed-methods research that examines multiple types of data.

Targeting Achievement Gaps: The following policies will help reduce our persistent achievement gaps:

-Early childhood education for all kids

-Comprehensive social programs

-Adequately funding districts that serve students from low socioeconomic backgrounds

-Holding all students to high expectations by adopting common core standards

Transparent Methodologies for School Improvement: The Michigan Department of Education should develop a transparent process for identifying struggling schools that allows district leaders to intervene early.

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