School Turnaround

Project•Recommendations for an effective

turnaround program

•Will address the need for and application

of changes in five specific areas, including:

curriculum, staff, finances, community, and

the building/facility

Opening Statements

“Use of a strength-based approach that helps students succeed despite adversity requires all of us—community, policymakers, parents and caregivers, school administrators, and teachers—to shift our focus to those factors over which we have control” (Vargas and Brizard).

Curriculum

Staff

Finances

Community

Community partnerships Research-based programs Family involvement Examples

Planning School-Community Partnerships

Know your resources:- finances, staff, settings, volunteers, equipment, supplies and contracted services; any constraints that may limit or circumscribe your program such as ethical issues, laws, regulations and funding requirements.

Describe activities - such as tutoring sessions, provide recreation

opportunities, conduct home visits, provide in-service training about educational enrichment to teachers, etc.

Cont…

Recruitment Retaining participants Incentives

-program hooks & magnets

Research-Based Programs

Measure outputs-”direct products of service”

Know your expected outcomes For efficiency…“(1) Understand which components of the programs have

been empirically tested and have resulted in positive outcomes; (2) If a certain program does not meet your populations’ needs, look for another theoretically-sound, research supported program that does or contextualize the program to meet your needs; (3) Ensure the program or curriculum is implemented with fidelity; and (4) Evaluate your program to determine your needs for learning and improvement and also whether you are able to achieve the outcomes you want and need.”

Family Involvement

Parents and families guide and structure programs according to their wants and needs

Parents lead or co-lead activities Classes are offered to develop parent

leadership Family engagement activities double as

opportunities for parents to learn and practice leadership skills that generalize to other settings

Examples

“A family resource center in a Missouri middle school has a "chill out space" that contributes to the school's desire to be "a cool school." Teachers and parent-classroom-aides refer and bring kids who are having a bad time or bad day. Specially trained parents responsible for the chill out space calm and counsel the child. As needed, they contact the social worker and the children's parents and make home visits. This strategy unites social and health services with school improvement. It also prevents serious disruptions in classrooms and schools, while supporting the teacher and preventing the social workers'caseload from skyrocketing.”

Clearly, most social interventions designed to strengthen families occur through programs or centers, involving staff, physical space and activities. At the same time, the best such programs andcenters are more than a set of activities and curricula. They create opportunities for families to exercise leadership, and they serve as community-building anchors (Bruner, 2004).

Building/Facility