83 million for schools brings optimism, frustration

April 12, 2012 |

Kyeana Hodge, 16, a freshman at Fitzgerald High School in Warren, has become a confident reader thanks to a corrective reading class for students who have trouble decoding words. It was created using part of a $1-million grant. / MANDI WRIGHT/Detroit Free Press

By Lori Higgins Detroit Free Press Education Writer

Part one in a series | Part two | Part three Kyeana Hodge hated to read. And for the freshman at Fitzgerald High School in Warren, that meant hating school.

"You always have to read in school," she said. "When it's hard for you to read, you just hate it." But her outlook changed this year. Fitzgerald High was one of 28 struggling schools across Michigan that shared in $83 million in federal School Improvement Grants (SIG) in 2010. Fitzgerald High spent part of its $1-million grant to create a corrective reading class for students such as Kyeana who have trouble decoding words. Kyeana, 16, has gone from the student who wanted to cry if a teacher asked her to read aloud to one who twice on a recent morning raised her hand to volunteer to read. That's the kind of transformation the federal government had in mind when, beginning in 2009, it started investing more than $4.6 billion as part of a radical plan to turn around the nation's worstperforming schools. Much of the money to fund the competitive grants -- $3 billion worth -came from stimulus dollars under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. An additional $533 million will go to schools in 2013-14. A Free Press review of the SIG program reveals both successes and frustrations in the two years since the money began allowing schools to hire coaches, provide more teacher training, extend learning time for students and offer financial incentives for teachers who excel. The SIG program overall has inspired widespread optimism and a sense of urgency in Michigan, educators say. Fewer kids are failing or getting into trouble, and there's more focus on improving teaching. "We can't do business as usual," said Mark Coscarella, assistant director in the Office of Education Improvement and Innovation at the Michigan Department of Education. But critics say the grants haven't spurred enough dramatic changes, have too many strings attached and have a time line that's too ambitious for turning the schools around. Detroit Public Schools spent only 42% of its first-year allocation and so far, has spent only 22% of its funds this year. The state suspended grant funds for Grand Rapids Public Schools for about a month last year because the district struggled to meet some of its goals. Beyond Detroit and Grand Rapids, state officials say all the other districts spent most or all of their SIG funds. A U.S. Government Accountability Office report issued Wednesday concedes that the SIG program has faced obstacles, mainly attributed to difficulties recruiting staff and developing teacher evaluation systems. "This is some of our most controversial work we're doing right now," Jason Snyder, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, told reporters March 24 during a conference on SIG in Chicago.

It's important work, Snyder said, if the U.S. is to meet President Barack Obama's ambitious goal of once again leading the world in the proportion of college graduates. "We know we can't get to that goal unless we do the hard work of turning around our lowperforming schools," Snyder said. "This is an urgent problem." But there also is a realization that turning around low-performing schools is difficult, particularly for high schools. "We've been doing this in various iterations for some time, and we've not met with a great deal of success, historically," said Tim Knowles, director of the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. He argues that the three-year time line for the program is too short. "These places have been broken for a long time and they are serving, in most cases, the poorest kids in our country," he said. "We have to invest in them." More financial help In addition to the $83 million awarded to 28 schools in 2010, the government awarded $96 million to 24 Michigan schools in 2011. To be eligible for a grant, a school had to be among the state's persistently low-achieving schools. Among the Michigan grant recipients were six in Detroit Public Schools, five in Grand Rapids Public Schools and two in Saginaw Public Schools. Grants ranged from $605,500 at Waldron Middle School in Waldron Area Schools to $5.4 million at Inkster High School. The average among the 28 schools was $2.95 million. Schools that got money had to adopt one of four school improvement models -- a transformation model that mandates a stronger evaluation system for teachers and principals, a turnaround model that requires half the staff be replaced, a closure model that forces the school to close or a restart model that forces it to be converted to a charter. In the transformation and turnaround models, the principal must be replaced, unless the school had already replaced the principal within the previous two years. Among the 28 Michigan SIG schools, 19 choose the transformation model and nine chose the turnaround model. That follows the national trend in which 74% of SIG schools chose transformation -- a fact that has some concerned. Instead of the dramatic action Obama envisioned, most chose "the path of least resistance," said researcher Sarah Yatsko, the lead author of a report issued March 30 by the Center on Reinventing Public Education.

The report found that because so many schools in Washington state chose the transformation model, the grant failed to spark aggressive reform. She suggested that the federal government eliminate it as an option for most schools. Monitoring progress Michigan's SIG schools are overseen by monitors assigned by the state Department of Education in conjunction with the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators. The monitors visit the schools weekly -- or in some cases monthly -- to assess how well the grant and improvement plans are being carried out, Coscarella said. "We problem solve, we remove barriers, and ultimately hold them accountable," he said. Some schools have needed intensive help, such as DPS, which struggled to spend its $6.9million, first-year allocation by the end of the 2010-11 school year and has spent less than onequarter of its $18-million, second-year allocation this year, according to state officials. DPS management is working to fix those issues, including establishing a cross-departmental team that will oversee purchasing, said Steve Wasko, spokesman for the district. A March Center on Education Policy report said district rules requiring competitive bids for services and products of more than $1,000 delayed the process. "We will also work with MDE to create smoother transitions with budget and approvals processes," Wasko said. 'I just want to succeed' Across many of the 28 SIG schools, the grant money is being invested in interventions for struggling students, more instruction time for students and more training for teachers. At Romulus Middle School, for example, the school adopted a new math curriculum called Connected Math, part of a comprehensive change designed to help move students more effectively from rote memorization of math concepts to a deeper understanding that helps them grasp why they need to learn the concepts. "Now I get it," said seventh-grader Kennedi Fulwylie, 12. Romulus Middle also adopted a new reading curriculum, as well as a reading intervention program called Read 180. The school added new technology and a discipline program designed to improve behavior and change the school environment. "It helps kids stay more focused instead of them always doing something wrong," said Alasia Daniel, 13, a Romulus seventh-grader.

At Fitzgerald High, the $1-million grant also has been used to boost technology, including the addition of a computer-based math lab that allows struggling students to get caught up. A new academic enrichment course helps prepare students to take the ACT. The changes have led to more testing, something students say can be a bit overwhelming. "If it pays off, I'll be happy," said junior Mizell Lippett, 16, of Warren. "I just want to succeed." Optimistic about future At Weston Prep, a charter school on Detroit's far west side, the nearly $2-million federal grant has teachers, parents, staff and students optimistic. "It's just a whole new program. It's made the school more open," said Jacqueline Goodlett, whose son Trenton, 10, is a sixth-grader. "It was truly needed." Weston Prep invested a chunk of its grant into technology, including purchasing 250 netbooks that complement interactive whiteboards and e-readers purchased with other funds. The school hired a parent liaison and invested in new intervention classes, an after-school program and training for staff. Among the intervention classes is an English language arts lab, where on a recent day, teacher Shana Copeland dimmed the lights and had soft jazz playing while she and seventh-grader Kierra Brown, 13, read together. In another corner of the room, a paraprofessional worked with a small group of students, and others were quietly reading while sitting on comfy furniture or the floor. There's a method behind the atmosphere, something Copeland picked up during a summer workshop. She tries to create an environment that helps students see reading as a fun activity. "It creates a whole new tone and atmosphere, so they can start to realize, 'Oh, this can be pleasurable,' " she said. Widespread criticism Despite the optimism in local schools, the ambitious national grant program has been marked by widespread criticism -- enough that some question whether Congress will drastically cut funding or eliminate it altogether. If a Republican is elected president this year, "it goes away. Period," said Rick Hess, director of education policy study at the American Enterprise Institute. If Obama is re-elected, Hess predicts Congress might allocate a sliver of funding. Among the biggest gripes is that the program is too prescriptive, requiring schools to fire principals and teaching staff. Research has been mixed on whether wholesale changes like that are effective.

"I question the research behind that particular element," said Barbara VanSweden, superintendent of the Fitzgerald School District. "I look at our situation and the fact is, our principal had begun to make improvements in the areas of student achievement." With expectations so high, many wonder what will happen if scores don't improve fast enough, said Judy Pritchett, chief academic officer for the Macomb Intermediate School District. "There certainly is a level of stress, and unless you've been through it, you probably can't imagine it," Pritchett said. The program has a three-year time line. Snyder of the U.S. Department of Education said the federal agency wasn't expecting big gains within the first year, but does expect to see growth after three years -- both in student achievement and areas such as graduation rates. After the money runs out, the schools will be left on their own to maintain the momentum. "The type of work that has to take place to make these changes isn't easily done in such a short time span," said Chris Timmis, superintendent of Adrian Public Schools, where Adrian High is a SIG school. "It takes more than three years." 2011 grants These are the 24 Michigan schools that received federal School Improvement Grants in 2011: Albion High School, Albion Public Schools: $2,666,937 Harper Woods High School, Harper Woods School District: $3,978,683 Bethune Academy, Detroit Public Schools: $6,000,000 Burns Elementary School, DPS: $5,900,811 Central High School, DPS: $3,155,397 Crockett High School, DPS: $5,391,558 A.L. Holmes Elementary School, DPS: $2,858,364 King High School, DPS: $5,549,031 Mumford High School, DPS: $4,878,786 Murphy Elementary-Middle School, DPS: $3,373,002 Pershing High School, DPS: $5,788,125 Schulze Elementary School, DPS: $5,036,031

Brenda Scott Middle School, DPS: $5,666,661 Western International High School, DPS: $3,727,728 Northwestern High School, Flint Public Schools: $3,103,536 Highland Park High School, Highland Park School District: $1,977,705 Maple Street Magnet School for the Arts, Kalamazoo Public Schools: $4,066,968 Milwood Middle School, Kalamazoo Public Schools: $4,412,160 Lincoln Park Middle School, Lincoln Park Public Schools: $2,763,123 River Rouge Middle College High School Academy, River Rouge School District: $6,000,000 Eastland Middle School, Roseville Community Schools: $1,062,588 Roseville Middle School, Roseville Community Schools: $881,547 Ruben Daniels Middle School, Saginaw Public Schools: $3,805,893 Waverly Middle School, Waverly Community Schools: $4,402,236 Contact Lori Higgins: 313-222-6651 or lhiggins@freepress.com More Details: What works The Center on Reinventing Public Education recently issued a report on the implementation of School Improvement Grants in Washington state. At a March conference, lead researcher Sarah Yatsko shared some of the traits seen in schools experiencing some success: High expectations for all students. Safe and orderly student culture. Everyone believes in the mission and acts on it. Strategic use of resources. Obsession with data and improvement. Intensive coaching for struggling teachers. No excuse for failure to educate.

More Details: Reform models The federal government required any school receiving School Improvement Grants to choose one of four models for reform. Among the 28 Michigan schools that shared in $83 million in grants in 2010, 19 choose the transformation model and nine chose the turnaround model. Details on the models: Transformation: Replace principal*; use rigorous teacher evaluation system that takes student growth data into account; reward staff who raise student achievement and remove those who don't; provide financial incentives; provide high-quality teacher training, and provide increased learning time, among other actions. Turnaround: Replace principal* and at least 50% of staff; develop ways to measure staff effectiveness; develop rewards and incentives to recruit and retain effective staff; provide highquality professional development, and provide increased learning time, among other actions. Restart: Close school and reopen under the management of a charter school operator, a nonprofit charter management organization or an education management organization. Closure: Close the school and transfer students to a higher-achieving school.