Strategic Staffing for Successful Schools: Breaking the Cycle of Failure in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

There's a lot of work happening all over the country to "turnaround" schools. Federal stimulus programs, including Title 1 Improvement Grants and Race to the Top, have caused many states and school systems to focus on how to address schools trapped in a cycle of failure and "turn them around." On the school level, there are some shining examples. But on the system level, there are few stories that describe how to take action within the context of managing all the resources available, to turn around failing schools while maintaining the quality of all schools. In this case study of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Strategic Staffing Initiative, Education Resource Strategies (ERS) and the Aspen Institute tell the important story of how one district is harnessing the critical levers of school leadership and teaching excellence to turnaround schools in the context of a larger school system. The system's top talent is now focused on their toughest challenges, the district leadership is actively supporting their efforts, and initial results are promising. (Contains 5 figures and 19 footnotes.)