Nationally, no verdict yet on turnarounds
With federal support, many districts are investing, but there is little evidence yet of success on a large scale.
by Dale Mezzacappa and Katrina Morrison
School turnaround is about the need to make drastic changes and achieve dramatic improvements in chronically low-performing schools. The approach has been championed by the Obama administration, which over the past three years has awarded $3.5 billion in grants to schools willing to adopt one of four models:
Turnaround: Replace the principal and no less than 50 percent of the staff, and adopt increased learning time and instructional reforms;
Restart: Convert a school to a charter or close and reopen it as a charter or under the management
