Choosing a School Turnaround Provider. Lessons Learned. Volume 1, Issue 3

Droves of school turnaround providers are chasing the massive federal infusion of funds flowing into failing schools. They arrive armed with glossy materials, impressive sounding claims, and, often, citing their prior relationships or experiences with one's school to support their promises of great service and impressive outcomes. But, are their claims supported by evidence of effectiveness and quality? Providers are coming under increasing scrutiny by the media and Congress focused on the numbers of ill-prepared, inexperienced, and unequipped organizations whose services could do more harm than good in struggling schools. Administrators, school staff, parents, students, and the community deserve to know that when they choose an external turnaround provider they will get the support that they need. The process of selecting a school turnaround provider can seem overwhelming, with so many choices and so little time and information. External and internal pressure to make the selection as quickly as possible can lead to hurried decisions with long-term, costly consequences--both lost dollars for districts and lost opportunities for students. The good news is that there are concrete, clearly defined steps to take that can lead one to the best provider for one's local context. This issue of "Lessons Learned" distills the authors' school improvement experience from conducting school turnaround reviews to publishing the Catalog of School Reform Models for many years. The lessons also draw on the work of other experts during the past two decades to present a primer on choosing a school turnaround provider based on evidence and sound operating principles, not on hype and haste. (Lists 6 resources.)