School & District Management

Group Launches Database On High-Scoring Schools

By Catherine Gewertz — November 19, 2003 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

In a bid to eradicate the perception that disadvantaged children cannot learn as well as their more advantaged peers, a Washington research group has launched an initiative designed to help struggling schools and districts learn pathways to success from high-performing ones.

The searchable database, Dispelling the Myth can be accessed online from Education Trust.

The move by the Education Trust combines a searchable computer database of student-achievement information with on-the-ground research and face-to-face meetings in an attempt to create a nationwide seminar of sorts. The aim is to boost the achievement of schools that serve high proportions of poor and minority children.

“We want to create an educational culture that recognizes and learns from success,” said Craig D. Jerald, a principal partner with the Education Trust who is leading the initiative. “The key to closing the achievement gap is to learn from the places that are making the most progress doing it.”

The cornerstone of the High Performing Schools and Districts initiative, announced Nov. 6, is a database that contains school-level test scores, broken down by race and poverty level, for 29 states, Mr. Jerald said.

As more states disaggregate such data, as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, those numbers will be added to the Web site, said Mr. Jerald, a former project director for Education Week‘s annual Quality Counts report. Using the site, educators and others can identify high- performing, high-poverty schools for study and conversation, he said.

‘Many Schools Succeeding’

As part of the initiative, the Education Trust won a two-year grant from the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build a database on high-performing high schools, and to send research teams to as many as 30 high- and low-performing secondary schools around the country, Mr. Jerald said.

Eric J. Cooper, the president of the Washington-based National Urban Alliance for Effective Education, said the initiative would provide “a very important service not only to school-based people, and district people, but to policymakers” because it could facilitate the identification and use of models that have proved successful.

Events

Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management
Moving the Needle on Attendance: What’s Working NOW
See how family engagement is improving attendance, and how to put it to work in schools.
Content provided by TalkingPoints

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Q&A How One District Fought to Get a Family Out of Immigration Detention
Jennifer Gaffney, the superintendent of the Sackets Harbor Central school district in New York, says leaders must do what is right for students.
5 min read
Sackets Harbor Central School District Superintendent Jennifer Gaffney poses with first-grade students during a school parade on May 16, 2025.
Sackets Harbor Central School District Superintendent Jennifer Gaffney poses with first-grade students during a school event on May 16, 2025.
Courtesy of Jennifer Gaffney
School & District Management Active Kids Are Better Learners. Here's How Principals Can Get Them Moving
In an era of waning recess, here are a few tips to make learning more than just a "sit-and-get" lesson.
4 min read
Student Carrera Crittenden participates in an activity during a theatre class at Weber High School, taught by Mark Daniels, on January 13, 2025 in Pleasant View, Utah. Daniels incorporates a lot of movement in the students during all of his classes.
Student Carrera Crittenden participates in an activity during a theatre class at Weber High School, taught by Mark Daniels, on January 13, 2025 in Pleasant View, Utah. Daniels incorporates a lot of movement in the students during all of his classes.
Kim Raff for Education Week
School & District Management Do Districts Have 'Administrative Bloat'? This State May Let the Public Decide
A North Carolina bill would require districts to publish the salaries of central-office administrators.
5 min read
A vector illustration of a large, red one hundred dollar bill on it's side with men in business suits balancing on the edge with some falling off.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Want to Be a Better Education Leader? Try These 5 Strategies
Teams should leave you feeling more connected, not drained and disengaged.
6 min read
Screen Shot 2025 05 18 at 8.06.14 AM
Canva