From the ECS State Policy Database: Accountability--School Improvement - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

Interventions in Low-Performing Schools and Districts: State Policies - (Kathy Christie, Education Commission of the States, January 2007)...

Great Expectations, Mixed Results: Standards and Performance in Denver’s New Public Schools - This paper examines academic growth of every newly created school in Denver, Colorado that commenced operations between 2007 and 2011 by examining their median growth percentile (MGP). Denver Public Schools (DPS) does not currently set advance standards or expectations for the performance of new schools and the lack of consistent standards and metrics undermines the strategy and promise of opening new schools. The authors recommend that in opening any new school, the district should determine multiple measures and targets, and then judge success (or failure) based on performance over time against this set of criteria. (The Donnell-Kay Foundation, 2012)...

Transforming Public Education in New Orleans: The Recovery School District - This report provides a comprehensive history of the RSD in New Orleans from its inception to the present. The authors present an analysis of some of the issues and policies that have defined the RSD over the past eight years, as well as an examination of the interplay among the contextual conditions and the community’s ability to engage and restructure to ensure sustainable change in public education. The report concludes by discussing the continuing role of state intervention and highlighting the issues currently facing the RSD in New Orleans. (Cowen Institute, 2011)...

State Capacity for School Improvement: A First Look at Agency Resources - Researchers examined eight state education agencies to determine how they could respond to federal pressures for states to play a larger role in school turnarounds. The authors found federal strictures dictate how monies are used for state education agency staffing for certain programs. With some flexibility the agencies could provide some additional support for typically underfunded school improvement initiatives. (Center on Reinventing Public Education, August 2011)...

School Turnarounds in Colorado: Untangling a Web of Supports for Struggling Schools - Over the past few years education policymakers have increased their focus on the needs of students in struggling schools. Congress and the federal Department of Education have developed initiatives that alter the options available under federal law for state, district and school leaders to intervene in persistently struggling schools. Colorado has significantly changed their approaches to school turnarounds. Based on their examination of the state's approach in recent months and report there are several potential areas to strengthen and improve its approach in future years. (July Kowal and Joe Ableidinger, Donnelly-Kay Foundation, January 2011)...

Restructuring 'Restructuring': Improving Interventions for Low-Performing Schools and Districts - Education Sector research finds that school districts and states often avoid making the hard choices that might lead to real reform. This report documents how few states and districts use the tools provided to them by NCLB. Instead of closing schools or replacing personnel, districts and states most often choose other, less aggressive actions. They hire consultants, redesign the curriculum or create smaller learning communities. This report lays out a series of specific policy changes that can be made at the local, state, and federal levels. (Robert Manwaring, Education Sector, April 2010)...

Gaining Ground on High School Graduation Rates in SREB States: Milestones and Guideposts - Report provides an in-depth update of states' graduation rates for all groups of students and details how states must begin using a new federal rate by 2011. Thirteen of the 16 SREB states have seen gains. The report calls for states to set statewide graduation rate goals on 90%, to provide additional help for schools in meeting more ambitious goals and for holding school accountable for gains. (Matthew Lenard and Joan Lord, Southern Regional Education Board, October 2009)...

Roots of Success: Effective Practices in Vermont Schools - The Vermont Department of Education, with the help of a large-scale teacher survey and an advisory panel representing K-12 and higher education faculty, studied what it takes for schools--and therefore students--to succeed. They identified eight characteristics that form the foundation for school effectiveness and are essential to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status, reach their full potential. (Vermont Department of Education, September 2009)...

The Turnaround Challenge: State Strategies for Turning Around Low-Performing Schools and Districts - NASBE recently launched an online tool for state policymakers designed to facilitate discussion and provide insights from some of the nation's education leaders on how states can design coherent strategies to improve their lowest performing schools and districts. The microsite organizes video clips and questions for policymakers in six themes alongisde PowerPoints, publilcations and other materials drawn from a forum convened by NASBE and the Council of Chief State School Officers in spring 2009. (NASBE, September 2009)...