Culture, Not Curriculum, May be Key to High School Reform
November 12, 2012 RSS Feed Print
School leaders can improve student achievement by empowering teachers and engaging parents, one expert says.
Resurrecting a strugglinghigh school is more about changing culture than curriculum, according to Charles Payne, a University of Chicago professor and affiliate of the university's Urban Education Institute.
Schools should be places where teachers are trusted, students are challenged, and parents are engaged, Payne said Friday at an annual conference hosted by the Education Trust, an advocacy group. When that happens, students show up and teachers stick around, and that alone can boost student achievement.
"If you can get your students to ... show up regularly, if you