Charles W. Earle Elementary School Chicago, Illinois Institute for School Improvement and Education Options Conference Adrian G. Willis Turnaround Principal, Chicago Public Schools September 2007 “Soaring to Success By Becoming the Best of the Best”

Demographics 500 Students (99.9% African American) –98% Free/reduced lunch 60 Faculty and staff –30 Classroom teachers –3 Special Ed. Self contained classrooms –90.5% Highly qualified teachers 92% Student attendance rate 94% Staff attendance rate 47% Mobility Rate

Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) Results* Grades 3-8 Meeting/Exceeding Standards

Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) Results* Grades 3/5/8 Meeting/Exceeding Standards

Ms. Robinson 6 th grade 3 years

Identifying the Data “Brutal Facts” Lack of Leadership in presenting data No Communication/Chaos Absence of Horizontal/Vertical Planning No collaboration/Teacher Empowerment Poor Professional Development Data Driven discussions did not exist Monitoring classroom instruction was rare No usage of ISAT/Learning 1 st Templates

Preparing to use Data to “Turn Around” Identifying the leadership team Creating learning community teams Creating a sense of urgency Facing the scores without blame Rebuilding/Rescheduling Monitoring classroom instruction Introduce templates/present research

Instructional Changes to Support Data Lengthening instructional time spent in reading and math Remediation based on Benchmark testing, Learning 1 st and DIBELS Re-teaching based on data (benchmark testing) Semi-departmentalization Teaming (clusters/grade levels) “Breakfast Club” PD to support instruction

Mrs. Susberry 4 th grade 1 year

Earle Learning 1 st Reading Data Vocabulary, Reading Strategies, Reading Comprehension, Literature

Earle Math Benchmark Data Number Sense, Measurement, Algebra, Geometry, Data Analysis

Earle DIBELS Data – Kindergarten Initial Sound Fluency (ISF) Nonsense Word Fluency (NW) Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)

Mr. Flambouras 8 th grade 15 years

Targeted Interventions for Students Saturday “Enrichment Academy” Club “66” SES After School Tutoring Lindblom H.S. Kid Math Colloquim Lindblom H.S. Kid Writing Colloquim Ancillary Support during Reading Block Flexible Guided Reading Groups Full Departmentalization

External Partner Support Programs Individualized Teacher Professional Development Angel Book Worms Program Management Planning Institute (Attendance) AVID Advancement Via Individual Development 21st Century Children’s Home + Aid Society Marlon’s Way Character Education Development St. Bernard/Holy Cross Student Health Initiatives Mobile Care Van (Asthma) Earle Branch of the Chicago Children’s Choir Citibank Financial Services Partnership ETA Creative Arts Foundation Program

Leader Actions Visit every classroom every day Provide constant feedback Communicate vision on a regular basis Become research based and data driven Participate in PD with teachers/staff Share data with teachers in a timely manner Hold all stakeholders accountable for results Paint classrooms, repair windows, display art

Mrs. Goosby 2 nd grade 23 years

UVA/CPS Connection Goal Setting Communicating With Data Leadership and the Power of Communication The Balance Scorecard Difficult Conversations The Art of Influence Working With the Press Motivate and Sustain A Committed Team Building a School Support Team UVA Portal Assess and Usage Roadmap 2 Year Change

Sustaining Turnaround Change “A documented, quick, dramatic and sustained change in the performance of an organization.” Data Wall (public & transparent) 3 rd -5 th Intermediate Great Books Program C4MGP (Earle Middle School) Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Chicago Urban League Initiative Harper High School Articulation Program Bi-Weekly Leadership Team Meetings Quarterly Action Plans Teacher Led Professional Development Special Education Inclusion Model Enhance school Learning Climate Expanding “Real Men Read” Program

Famous Last Words …teach me, maybe I’ll learn …teach me with compassion, I will learn …teach me with compassion and high expectations and I’ll become a life long learner. a.g.willis