The efficacy of school turnaround
Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday July 25, 2022 06:00
The reason is that the school turnaround programme is not a bed of roses.
Yes, it is a highly rewarding programme in terms of raising student achievement levels but it is a rather laborious and energy sapping programme.
Other than demanding full and undivided attention, the turnaround programme has far reaching implications on issues of job security, recruitment and retention of staff, organisational culture and resource allocation, to name but a few.
Who would be comfortable with a programme that ruffles feathers? Under a turnaround dispensation, schools are compelled to satisfy prescribed milestones and performance bench marks within specified time frames.
And the most frightening part is that there are consequences and sanctions for failure to meet targets. In the case of the USA, the consequences could include a significant staff shake up and usually the school principal is the first casualty. School principals in turnaround schools are not expected to falter in their mission of racing to the top and changing the trajectory of student learning outcomes.
This explains why American turnaround schools apply thorough and robust selection criteria when appointing school principals. Nothing is left to chance because the principal is obliged to be a major game changer.
Therefore schools desiring swift and immediate positive changes usually hire and deploy a special breed of leaders carefully chosen after graduating from a rigorous school turnaround professional development programme.
Some school principals are, however, employed based on a proven track record of fixing broken, chronically low achieving schools. The same standards are applied to staff members. In turnaround schools, there is a high culture of accountability where teachers assume full responsibility over what is happening in their instruction rooms.
They have the responsibility to employ robust instructional practices that inspire and challenge students to unleash their potential. What drives teachers to do more and create a rich learning environment in turnaround school settings is the lack of job security. In the event a school fails to turnaround as expected and falls short of meeting performance markers heads roll. A school could release about 50% of the school’s staff.
Where everything has failed and a school is considered unfit to serve students, it could be forced to close business. In the event of closure, parents are advised to channel their children to other promising schools, which can serve students better. What then can be done to encourage a buy-in of the school turnaround programme?
America is the home of a school turnaround programme and the American experience can shed light on how a buy-in can be encouraged and realised. Everything begins with political will at the highest level.
In a bid to promote extensive implementation of the turnaround programme, the Obama administration decided to lead from the front. In a clear demonstration of political will a piece of legislation, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, was passed. The Act provided not only the legal framework but also made budget provisions to support turnaround implementing schools. It seems a bit of legal push can kick start the turnaround process.