Webinar: How Can Districts Lead the Way in School Turnaround? (7/12/12)

Published on July 3, 2012

Thursday, July 12, 2012

2:00–3:00 pm Eastern Time

This webinar approached the school turnaround debate through the lens of the school district's role and provide examples of effective turnaround efforts, as well as key challenges for district leadership.

PowerPoint presentation

Turning around the lowest-performing schools has become a major focus of education reform in the United States. In many cases, states and "turnaround specialist" organizations have taken the lead in improving performance in these schools. But what is the district's role in school turnaround? How can districts adapt to meet these new challenges while maintaining a focus on high achievement for all students?

The Annenberg Institute’s work with urban school communities has highlighted that school turnaround will be successful for all students only if it is driven by systemwide, coordinated strategies. And school districts, though often criticized for slow and inadequate responses to poor academic performance of its students, are still the organizations most invested in ensuring that school turnaround can succeed at scale.

PANELISTS:
Heather Zavadsky
Director of Insights, Communities Foundation of Texas
In her new book, School Turnarounds: The Essential Role of Districts (Harvard Education Press, 2012) Heather has examined and drawn lessons from school turnaround in five urban districts across the country, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Philadelphia.

Alan Coverstone
Executive Director, Office of Innovation
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
In his role as executive director of the School Innovation Zone in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Alan is helping to build networks of effective practice and leadership across a set of low-performing schools.

Warren Simmons
Executive Director, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Co-Chair, New York City Working Group on School Transformation
Warren serves as co-chair of the New York City Working Group on School Transformation, which has argued for alternatives to school closure, including a Success Innovation Zone to build instructional capacity in struggling schools.

For more information, please contact Jacob Mishook at: jacob_mishook@brown.edu

	Heather Zavadsky Director of Insights, Communities Foundation of Texas In her new book, School Turnarounds: The Essential Role of Districts (Harvard Education Press, 2012) Heather has examined and drawn lessons from school turnaround in five urban districts across the country, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Philadelphia.
	Alan Coverstone Executive Director, Office of Innovation Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools In his role as executive director of the School Innovation Zone in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Alan is helping to build networks of effective practice and leadership across a set of low-performing schools.
	Warren Simmons Executive Director, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University Co-Chair, New York City Working Group on School Transformation Warren serves as co-chair of the New York City Working Group on School Transformation, which has argued for alternatives to school closure, including a Success Innovation Zone to build instructional capacity in struggling schools.