Turnaround School: Dream or Nightmare?
If you're a regular reader of Teacher in a Strange Land, you know that I have been privileged to work with and write about a turnaround school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (See here, here, here and here.)
Doing so has drawn some reprobation from folks I truly respect. I have been told that the Turnaround Model--one of four ways Race to the Top mandates as approved fix for "failing" public schools--was nothing more than another way to say "We tried!" while ultimately pushing a school community toward a label of data-documented failure and privatization. Turnarounds are designed to crash, I heard--and the teachers and school leaders who believe their expertise and commitment will make a genuine difference are naive.
But--I knew the strength of the school leader, my friend and personal hero, Jill Saia. If anyone had the vision, intelligence and dedication to rebuild a school, it was Jill. And what I saw in that first year of the turnaround was so promising, so exciting...
Unfortunately, what you're about to read is the rest of the story, in Jill's words. I thank her for having the courage to share her story.
I have deleted the "Dream School" folder on my computer. I am hoping that enough time has passed since our school was closed that I can write about it clearly and rationally, even
