basic educational benchmarks “South Avondale Elementary: Transformation Model,” Ohio Department of Education, n.d.
the “Elementary Initiative” Information on the EI and other Cincinnati Public Schools reforms came from various sources, including Kim McGuire, “In Cincinnati, They’re Closing the Achievement Gap,” Star Tribune, May 11, 2004; Alyson Klein, “Education Week, Veteran Educator Turns Around Cincinnati Schools,” Education Week, February 4, 2013; Nolan Rosenkrans, “Cincinnati Offers Toledo Schools a Road Map to Success,” The Blade, May 13, 2012; Gregg Anrig, “How to Turn an Urban School District Around—Without Cheating,” The Atlantic, May 9, 2013; John Kania and Mark Kramer, “Collective Impact,” Stanford Social Innovation Review 9, no. 1 (Winter 2011): 36–41; Lauren Morando Rhim, Learning How to Dance in the Queen City: Cincinnati Public Schools’ Turnaround Initiative, Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education (Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 2011); Emily Ayscue Hassel and Bryan C. Hassel, “The Big U Turn,” Education Next 9, no. 1 (2009): 20–27; Rebecca Herman et al., Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools: A Practice Guide (Washington, D.C.: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 2008); Guide to Understanding Ohio’s Accountability System, 2008–2009 (Columbus: Ohio Department of Education, 2009), Web; Daniela Doyle and Lyria Boast, 2010 Annual Report: The University of Virginia School Turnaround Specialist Program, Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education, Public Impact (Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 2011); Dana Brinson et al., School Turnarounds: Actions and Results, Public Impact (Lincoln, Ill.: Center on Innovation and Improvement, 2008); L. M. Rhim and S. Redding, eds., The State Role in Turnaround: Emerging Best Practices (San Francisco: WestEd, 2014); William S. Robinson and LeAnn M. Buntrock, “Turnaround Necessities,” The School Administrator 68, no. 3 (March 2011): 22–27; Susan McLester, “Turnaround Principals,” District Administration (May 2011); Daniel Player and Veronica Katz, “School Improvement in Ohio and Missouri: An Evaluation of the School Turnaround Specialist Program” (CEPWC Working Paper Series no. 10, University of Virginia, Curry School of Education, June 2013), Web; Alison Damast, “Getting Principals to Think Like Managers,” Bloomberg Businessweek, February 16, 2012; “CPS ‘Turnaround Schools’ Lift District Performance,” The Cincinnati Herald, August 21, 2010; Dakari Aarons, “Schools Innovate to Keep Students on Graduation Track,” Education Week, June 2, 2010; “Facts at a Glance,” Columbia Public Schools K–12, n.d., Web.
how to use it The Cincinnati Public School system’s Elementary Initiative had other components in addition to instructing teachers in how to use data. Those included using data and analysis to guide evidence-based decisions; implementing a new principal evaluation system aligned to the district’s strategic plan that included student performance scores; expanding school-site learning teams of teachers to build capacity in all schools; training primary and intermediate content specialists in core subjects; and becoming more family friendly and community engaged. “Using data and evidence, we will improve practice, differentiate instruction, and track learning results for every student,” the district wrote in a summary of the initiative. “Our goal is to create a collaborative learning culture that involves families, is embraced in schools and is supported by the Board, central office and the community. Such a culture is at the heart of the elementary school initiative….Just as the medical community uses diagnostics to determine treatment for critical care patients, so are we using data and analysis with 15 critical care schools to reshape training, support and delivery of services aligned to the academic, social and emotional needs of the students.” (“Elementary Initiative: Ready for High School,” Cincinnati Public Schools, 2014, http://www.cps-k12.org/academics/district-initiatives/elementary-initiative.) It is also worth noting that, though everyone spoken to in reporting this chapter credits a data-driven approach with fueling South Avondale’s transformation, they also noted that such changes were possible only because of strong leadership at the school and commitment from teachers.
inner-city reform “Elementary Initiative: Ready for High School.”
state math exam Ibid.; South Avondale Elementary School Ranking,” School Digger, 2014, http://www.schooldigger.com/go/OH/schools/0437500379/school.aspx; “South Avondale Elementary School Profile,” Great Schools, 2013, Web.
the school district read “School Improvement, Building Profiles, South Avondale,” Ohio Department of Education, 2014, Web.
but more useful For more on the role of data in classroom improvement, please see Thomas J. Kane et al., “Identifying Effective Classroom Practices Using Student Achievement Data,” Journal of Human Resources 46, no 3 (2011): 587–613; Pam Grossman et al., “Measure for Measure: A Pilot Study Linking English Language Arts Instruction and Teachers’ Value-Added to Student Achievement” (CALDER Working Paper no. 45, Calder Urban Institute, May 2010); Morgaen L. Donaldson, “So Long, Lake Wobegon? Using Teacher Evaluation to Raise Teacher Quality,” Center for American Progress, June 25, 2009, Web; Eric Hanushek, “Teacher Characteristics and Gains in Student Achievement: Estimation Using Micro-Data,” The American Economic Review 61, no. 2 (1971): 280–88; Elizabeth Holtzapple, “Criterion-Related Validity Evidence for a Standards-Based Teacher Evaluation System,” Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education 17, no. 3 (2003): 207–19; Brian A. Jacob and Lars Lefgren, Principals as Agents: Subjective Performance Measurement in Education (working paper no. w11463, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2005); Brian A. Jacob, Lars Lefgren, and David Sims, The Persistence of Teacher-Induced Learning Gains (working paper no. w14065, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2008); Thomas J. Kane and Douglas O. Staiger, Estimating Teacher Impacts on Student Achievement: An Experimental Evaluation (working paper no. w14607, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2008); Anthony Milanowski, “The Relationship Between Teacher Performance Evaluation Scores and Student Achievement: Evidence from Cincinnati,” Peabody Journal of Education 79, no. 4 (2004): 33–53; Richard J. Murnane and Barbara R. Phillips, “What Do Effective Teachers of Inner-City Children Have in Common?” Social Science Research 10, no. 1 (1981): 83–100; Steven G. Rivkin, Eric A. Hanushek, and John F. Kain, “Teachers, Schools, and Academic Achievement,” Econometrica 73, no. 2 (2005): 417–58.