School Performance Turnaround

• Title: Are School Turnarounds Possible? Oregon's Russell Elementary Blazes a Path
• Source/Author/Date: The Oregonian, Betsy Hammond, 10/14/16
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• Key Points: Schools all around Oregon have been monitored over the past years as they were indicated as being the lowest performing schools within the state. On principal has risen to the occasion to bring her school out of the lowest 15% and into uncharted waters for academics and testing scores. Her school is one that has around 2/3 of their students on free and reduced lunches and come from low income households. Most of the school's demographics are non-white and historically have tested low on state assessments. What was her plan to bring the school out of the 15%? More peer and classroom discussions with limited direct teaching instruction. Students feel more challenged to "Use their minds" and are seemingly being motivated intrinsically.
• Relevance: As educators and working alongside administration, we should always be trying to find new innovative ways that we can teach content to our students regardless of the stereotypes that society may place on them. If we see that students, classrooms, or even schools aren't delivering the content in ways that resonates with the students, we need to take a hard look in the mirror and evaluate the practices that we are currently administering. Being an educator means trying to always improve upon our best practices, and this story showcased how far a school and demographic can go if given the opportunity.