Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Improving low-performing/failing schools in the United States, especially in urban areas, has been a focal point of policymakers since the 1960s. Turning around low-performing schools gained increased attention after Congress passed No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top in the 2000s. In 2009, President Barack Obama and his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, championed improving failing schools with a $3.5 billion investment in School Improvement Grants (SIG program) to decrease dropout rates, increase college readiness among high school graduates, and improve their potential for postsecondary success. Our qualitative case study examined the turnaround leadership actions of an urban superintendent in New Jersey and a high school principal in Michigan. Our case studies identified specific turnaround leadership actions that practitioners could replicate in their urban school district or school. Finally, we conclude with several vexing policy implications regarding the future direction of improving or turning around failing schools, especially in urban areas.

Keywords

urban schools turnaround schools superintendent leadership principal leadership school improvement grants SIG program turnaround leadership qualitative case studies

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Addonizio

Kearney

C. P.

(2012). Education reform and the limits of policy: Lessons from Michigan. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Balfanz

Legters

(2004). Locating the dropout crisis: Which high schools produce the nation’s dropouts? Where are they located? Who attends them? Report 70. Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk CRESPAR.

Black

S. M.

Owens

M. A.

Randall

E. V.

Boxley

White

W. L.

(2023). Emergency financial management: Purposes and effects of state takeovers of local school districts in Michigan, 2009–2018. In Zajda

(Ed.), Globalisation, values education and teaching democracy (pp. 115–141). Springer International Publishing.

Branch

G. F.

Hanushek

E. A.

Rivkin

S. G.

(2013). School leaders matter. Education Next, 13(1), 62–69. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1008235

Brown

A. L.

Brown

K. D.

(2021). The making of urban curriculum: A case on African Americans in the U.S. In Milner

H. R.

IV Lomotey

(Eds.), Handbook of urban education (2nd ed., pp. 269–280). Routledge.

Brown

(2017, January 19). Obama administration spent billions to fix failing schools, and it didn’t work. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/obama-administration-spent-billions-to-fix-failing-schools-and-it-didnt-work/2017/01/19/6d24ac1a-de6d-11e6-ad42-f3375f271c9c_story.html

Bryk

A. S.

Sebring

P. B.

Allensworth

Easton

J. Q.

Luppescu

(2010). Organizing schools for improvement: Lessons from Chicago. University of Chicago Press.

Darling-Hammond

(2004). Standards, accountability, and school reform. Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 106(6), 1047–1085. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9620.2004.00372.x

Davis

Darling-Hammond

LaPointe

Meyerson

(2005). Developing successful principals. Stanford Educational Leadership Institute, Ed.

10.

Dee

(2012). School turnarounds: Evidence from the 2009 stimulus (No. w17990). National Bureau of Economic Research.

11.

Deming

W. E.

(1986). Out of the crisis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Advanced Engineering Study.

12.

Dragoset

Thomas

Herrmann

Deke

James-Burdumy

Graczewski

Giffin

(2017). School improvement grants: Implementation and effectiveness. NCEE 2017-4013. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.

13.

Duke

D. L.

(2015). Leadership for low-performing schools: A step-by-step guide to the school turnaround process. Rowman & Littlefield.

14.

Edmonds

(1979). Effective schools for the urban poor. Educational Leadership, 37(1), 15–24. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ208051

15.

Fraenkel

J. R.

Wallen

N. E.

(2009). How to design and evaluate research in education. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

16.

Fullan

(2005). Turnaround leadership. The Educational Forum, 69(2), 174–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131720508984681

17.

Fullan

Quinn

(2016). Coherence: The right drivers in action for schools, districts, and systems. Corwin Press.

18.

Gall

M. D.

Borg

W. R.

Gall

J. P.

(2003). Educational research: An introduction. Longman Publishing.

19.

Gladden

(2016, October 3). School district’s scores show marked literacy gains. Asbury Park Sun. https://asburyparksun.com/school-districts-scores-show-marked-literacy-improvements/

20.

Green

T. L.

(2015). Leading for urban school reform and community development. Educational Administration Quarterly, 51(5), 679–711. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161x15577694

21.

Herman

Dawson

Dee

Greene

Maynard

Redding

Darwin

(2008). Turning around chronically low-performing schools. IES Practice Guide. NCEE 2008-4020. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.

22.

Hill

K. L.

Desimone

Wolford

Reitano

Porter

(2022). Inside school turnaround: What drives success? Journal of Educational Change, 24(3), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-022-09450-w

23.

Hinkley

(2013, February 8). Feeling the spirit: State schools chief praises BCPS’ enthusiasm. Battle Creek Enquirer, p. 2A.

24.

Hitt

D. H.

Meyers

C. V.

(2018). Beyond turnaround: A synthesis of relevant frameworks for leaders of sustained improvement in previously low-performing schools. School Leadership & Management, 38(1), 4–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2017.1374943

25.

Hitt

D. H.

Woodruff

Meyers

C. V.

Zhu

(2018). Principal competencies that make a difference: Identifying a model for leaders of school turnaround. Journal of School Leadership, 28(1), 56–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461802800103

26.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt -HMH . (2017). Gains analysis: Asbury Park school district summary progress report (Report No. 2017-2017 Academic Planning and Analysis).

27.

Hurlburt

Therriault

S. B.

Le Floch

K. C.

(2012). School improvement grants: Analyses of state applications and eligible and awarded schools. NCEE 2012-4060. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.

28.

Joiner

C. W.

Jr. (1987). Leadership for change. Ballinger Publishing Company.

29.

Kowal

Hassel

E. A.

Hassel

B. C.

(2009). Successful school turnarounds: Seven steps for district leaders. Issue Brief. Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement.

30.

Kozol

(1991). Savage inequalities: Children in America’s schools. Crown.

31.

Kresnak

(1988, September 1). Student shot on the first day of classes. Detroit Free Press.

32.

LBJ Presidential Library . (2012, June 29). LBJ’s university of Michigan speech, 5-22-64 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4Qc1VM80aQ

33.

LBJ Presidential Library . (2013, May 31). Commencement speech at Howard University, 6/4/65. MP2265-66 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcfAuodA2x8

34.

Leithwood

Harris

Hopkins

(2008). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership. School Leadership & Management, 28(1), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632430701800060

35.

Leithwood

Harris

Strauss

(2010). Leading school turnaround. Jossey-Bass.

36.

Leithwood

Strauss

(2009). Turnaround schools: Leadership lessons. Education Canada, 49(2), 26–29. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ868682

37.

Lofland

L. H.

(1995). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and analysis. Wadsworth.

38.

Lutterloh

Cornier

J. P.

Hassel

B. C.

(2016). Measuring school turnaround success. WestEd.

39.

Meyers

C. V.

Hambrick Hitt

(2017). School turnaround principals: What does initial research literature suggest they are doing to be successful? Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 22(1), 38–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2016.1242070

40.

Michigan Department of Education . (2017). School data index. https://www.mischooldata.org/school-index/

41.

Michigan Department of Education . (2014). School improvement grants. https://www.michigan.gov/mde/news-and-information/press-releases/2014/08/28/19-priority-schools-receive-school-improvement-grants

42.

Milner

H. R.

IV Lomotey

(2021). Introduction. In Milner

H. R.

IV Lomotey

(Eds.), In Handbook of urban education (2nd ed., pp. 1–6). Routledge.

43.

Mirel

(1999). The rise and fall of an urban school system: Detroit, 1907-1981 (2nd ed.). The University of Michigan Press.

44.

National Commission on Excellence in Education . (1983, November). A nation at risk: The imperative for education reform.

45.

New Jersey Department of Education . (2012). NJ school improvement renewal grant for SIG/Cohort 2 continuation year 2/3. https://www.nj.gov/education/grants/opportunities/2012/12-SG04-H03.shtml

46.

New Jersey Department of Education . (2017). New Jersey school data. https://rc.doe.state.nj.us/

47.

Noguera

(2003). City schools and the American Dream: Reclaiming the promise of public education (Vol. 17). Teachers College Press.

48.

Noguera

P. A.

(2013). Urban schools and the Black male “challenge”. In Milner

H. R.

IV Lomotey

(Eds.), Handbook of urban education (1st ed., pp. 152–166). Routledge.

49.

Noguera

P. A.

Syeed

(2020). City schools and the American Dream 2: The enduring promise of public education. Multicultural Education.

50.

Payne

C. M.

(1984). Getting what we ask for: The ambiguity of success and failure in urban education. Contributions to the Study of Education, Number 12. Greenwood Press.

51.

Payne

C. M.

(2008). So much reform, so little change: The persistence of failure in urban schools. Harvard Education Press.

52.

Payzant

(2010). Urban school leadership (Vol. 9). John Wiley & Sons.

53.

Payzant

T. W.

Horan

C. M.

(2007). The Boston story: Success and challenges in systemic education reform. In Reville

S. P.

Coggins

(Eds.), A decade of urban school reform: Persistence and progress in the Boston Public Schools (pp. 243–269). Harvard Education Press.

54.

Peck

Reitzug

U. C.

(2014). School turnaround fever: The paradoxes of a historical practice promoted as a new reform. Urban Education, 49(1), 8–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085912472511

55.

Player

Katz

(2016). Assessing school turnaround: Evidence from Ohio. The Elementary School Journal, 116(4), 675–698. https://doi.org/10.1086/686467

56.

Ravitch

(2010). The death and life of the great American school system: How testing and choice are undermining education. Basic Books.

57.

Redding

Nguyen

T. D.

(2020). The relationship between school turnaround and student outcomes: A meta-analysis. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 42(4), 493–519. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720949513

58.

Reville

S. P.

(2007). Introduction: Setting the stage. In Reville

S. P.

Coggins

(Eds.), A decade of urban school reform: Persistence and progress in the Boston Public Schools (pp. 1–15). Harvard Education Press.

59.

Reynolds

Howard

(2013). Sharing responsibility: A case for real parent-school partnerships. In Katz

M. B.

Rose

(Eds.), Public education under siege (pp. 201–206). University of Pennsylvania Press.

60.

Royal

Cothorne

(2021). School closures and urban education. In Milner

H. R.

IV Lomotey

(Eds.), Handbook of urban education (2nd ed., pp. 483–493). Routledge.

61.

Salmonowicz

(2009). Meeting the challenge of school turnaround: Lessons from the intersection of research and practice. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(3), 19–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172170909100305

62.

Strunk

K. O.

Marsh

J. A.

Hashim

A. K.

Bush-Mecenas

Weinstein

(2016). The impact of turnaround reform on student outcomes: Evidence and insights from the Los Angeles unified school district. Education Finance and Policy, 11(3), 251–282. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00188

63.

Stuit

D. A.

(2010). Are bad schools immortal? The scarcity of turnarounds and shutdowns in both charter and district sectors. Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

64.

Sun

Kennedy

A. I.

Loeb

(2021). The longitudinal effects of school improvement grants. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 43(4), 647–667. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737211012440

65.

Sun

Penner

E. K.

Loeb

(2017). Resource-and approach-driven multidimensional change: Three-year effects of school improvement grants. American Educational Research Journal, 54(4), 607–643. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831217695790

66.

Twain

Avildsen

J. G.

(1989). Lean on Me [Motion picture]. Warner Bros. Pictures.

67.

Tyack

Cuban

(1995). Tinkering toward utopia: A century of public school reform. Harvard University Press.

68.

Tyack

D. B.

(1974). The one best system: A history of American urban education (Vol. 95). Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674251120

69.

United States Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education . (2014, February). School improvement grants: National summary (school year 2012-2013). https://www.ed.gov/media/document/school-improvement-grants-national-summary-school-year-2011-12-105671.pdf

70.

United States Census Bureau . (2019a, May 25). Quick facts: Asbury Park, New Jersey. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/asburyparkcitynewjersey

71.

United States Census Bureau . (2019b, May 25). Quick facts: Battle Creek, Michigan. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/battlecreekcitymichigan

72.

United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights . (2014, March). Civil rights data collection: Data snapshot (school discipline).

73.

Viteritti

J. P.

(2009). Why governance matters. In Viteritti

J. P.

(Ed.), When mayors take charge: School governance in the city (pp. 1–16). Brookings Institution Press.

74.

Wong

K. W.

Shen

F. X.

Anagnostopoulos

Rutledge

(2007). The education mayor: Improving America’s schools. Georgetown University Press.

75.

Woulfin

S. L.

Weiner

(2019). Triggering change: An investigation of the logics of turnaround leadership. Education and Urban Society, 51(2), 222–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124517714865

An Examination of Turnaround Leadership: A Case Study of Superintendent and Principal Leadership

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References