Low Performing Schools
Federal
Low-Performing Schools Are Left to Languish by Districts and States, Watchdog Finds
Fewer than half of district plans for improving struggling schools meet bare minimum requirements.
School & District Management
Letter to the Editor
Ditch the Term 'Failing Schools'
The term sullied the otherwise affirmative nature of the opinion collection, says this letter to the editor.
School & District Management
Opinion
Five Pathways for Improving Student Opportunities
Education advocates and policymakers show how an opportunity approach is changing the face of education in their states.
School & District Management
Q&A
How a Successful Superintendent Takes Stock Mid-Year
The halfway point in the school year is a good time to reassess goals, measure progress, and reflect.
Budget & Finance
How COVID-19 Will Make Fixing America's Worst-Performing Schools Even Harder
COVID-19's fallout has shaken how states spend billions in federal aid to fix poor-performing schools serving the most-vulnerable students.
College & Workforce Readiness
Calculating Grad Rates for Charter Schools: It's Complicated
Federal data paint a grim picture of the charter school sector's ability to graduate its students. But comparing charter high schools' graduating power with that of all other public high schools is tricky.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Are Charter Management Companies a Laboratory for Effective School Systems?
Marc Tucker argues that there is no evidence that charter systems at scale raise student performance to global levels, and advises policymakers to instead, focus on learning from nations and states whose students are outperforming U.S. students across the board.
Every Student Succeeds Act
States Adjust Course on School Turnaround Districts
The new school year brings changes for states that are starting—or, in at least one case, dropping—state-directed efforts to improve some of their lowest-performing schools.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Here's How 17 States Plan to Fix Struggling Schools
What are the most common strategies states want to take for school improvement? Are states seeking radical new approaches under ESSA? We take a look.
School Choice & Charters
Opinion
Theresa May and the Design of the American Education System
Marc Tucker discusses a recent piece by Checker Finn on British Prime Minister Theresa May's education agenda and analyzes the lessons it may provide for U.S. policy makers.
Federal
In Massachusetts, Voters Shun Expansion of Charters
The state will keep its status as one of the most restrictive states when it comes to the expansion of the charter school sector.
School & District Management
Georgia Voters to Decide State's Role in Struggling Schools
A ballot measure would alter the state constitution to allow a special district to intervene in low-performing schools.
Every Student Succeeds Act
ESSA Clears Out Underbrush on School Improvement Path
The new federal K-12 law gives states and districts a freer hand in fixing their lowest-performing schools, but questions loom on whether that leeway will translate into better outcomes.
School & District Management
Amid School-Closure Worries, Michigan Lists Low Performers
State officials insist the roster of low-performing schools is not a closure list, but an accountability measure required by law, though those reassurances may face skepticism.