Helping Struggling Schools, Students. You Can't Depend on the Same 'Ol, Same 'Ol.

At least that's the advice that Andy Calkins, executive director of the Mass Insight Education on School Turnaround Policies, told the State Board of Education this morning. Both Calkins and the Mass President, Bill Guenther, told board members that kids in struggling schools simply won't repond to five-year plans. Or doing things by the book. Or by union rules.

Some of the key characteristics of high-achieving, high-proverty schools include: Giving principals the authority to pick and place their team. Seniority goes out the window. Having targeted $$ (and we are talking mid-six figures here) directed at these schools, as well as having the schools clustered in an area, or under one program. Almost all of the school extend the school day and the school year.

Oh, and this program shouldn't be directed by existing entities, such as a state's Department of Ed or in our case, OSPI. It should be outside the main agency, and given streamlined authority to try new things.

"Marginal change will bring marginal results," Calkins said. "There is a huge body of work out there on what not to do.

Now, as a boon to the board, Calkins and Guenther told them that no one state has cracked this nut. Or any one district. There are some schools that have, and Guenther told the board to "extract the DNA" from these schools and apply it to Washington.

Afterwards, I spoke with Calkins about schools in this area, and mentioned my daughter, by his definition, seemed to be going to a high poverity/high achieving school. He confirmed that a group from MASS had talked to the Auburn School District, and considers it one of the top districts in the state in tackling this problem.