Change The Culture Of Poorly Performing Schools

Can Chicago Public School's CEO Jean-Claude Brizard change the culture of poorly performing schools?


From the Chicago Tribune:
Against these odds, there have been some remarkable, albeit isolated, success stories at CPS schools in predominantly low-income African-American neighborhoods. At Burnham Elementary School in the city's Jeffrey Manor neighborhood on the South Side, for example, 8 out of every 10 students meets or exceeds state testing standards. The school also boasts an early literacy rate of more than 75 percent.

At Mount Vernon Elementary School on the Southwest Side, Principal Dawn Scarlett has steered a school off academic probation for the first time in five years by emphasizing teacher accountability. Since taking over the school three years ago, Scarlett has provided more teacher feedback and support, but she also ramped up the monitoring of teachers inside the classroom so weakness can be identified and corrected.

"It's all about instruction. It's all about who's in front of those kids," Scarlett said. "I don't really blame anything else. I don't pass the blame to parents. If you have the right instructors in front of children, that is so much of the battle."

"I'm not just looking for (improved) test scores, I'm looking for a different type of culture," Brizard said. "That's the only way organic change happens."


CPS fails to close performance gap
Black students still losing academic ground despite reforms, study finds
November 14, 2011|By Joel Hood, Chicago Tribune reporter

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-11-14/news/ct-met-cps-racial-gap-1114-20111114_1_performance-gap-cps-jean-claude-brizard





Marc Sims
Chicago