School Turnaround
Explore resources and key practices that can help under-performing schools make the shift from low-performing to "turnaround." 
- View a visual diagram of all four practices
- Watch a topic overview and download planning templates
- Listen to an expert
Explore the subtopics below to learn more about the recommended practices:
To learn more about the research underlying these practices, view the IES Practice Guide, Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools.
Building a Staff Committed to the Turnaround Process
School Turnaround > Committed Staff > Overview & Tools
This multimedia overview provides a summary of the recommendation to build a strong, committed staff dedicated to the turnaround efforts. It outlines several key actions principals can take to...
Resource Type
Overview
Making Visible Improvements Early in the Turnaround Process
School Turnaround > Quick Wins > Overview & Tools
This multimedia overview describes the nature and purpose of quick wins in turnaround schools. It offers examples of quick wins that principals can achieve in their schools.
Resource Type
Overview
Maintaining a Consistent Focus on Improving Instruction
School Turnaround > Instruction > Overview & Tools
This multimedia overview outlines the actions a turnaround school principal can take to set goals, monitor progress, and serve as an instructional leader to improve instruction.
Resource Type
Overview
Signaling the Need for Dramatic Change With Strong Leadership
School Turnaround > Leadership > Overview & Tools
This overview describes strong leadership and its importance. It outlines the characteristics of strong leaders and effective leadership practices in turnaround schools.
Resource Type
Overview
Turning Around Chronically Low-Performing Schools
School Turnaround > Overview & Tools
Use this multimedia overview to learn how the practices for school turnaround fit together into a research-based and practical solution for quickly turning around chronically low-performing...
Resource Type
Overview
Developing a Climate for Change
School Turnaround > Committed Staff > Learn What Works
Julie Kowal presents ways a principal can inspire and engage staff in turnaround efforts and the district’s role in supporting those efforts.
Resource Type
Expert Interview
Understanding and Meeting Staffing Needs
School Turnaround > Committed Staff > Learn What Works
Julie Kowal discusses the importance of building a committed staff and strategies that principals can use to assess staffing needs, reassign, redeploy, and hire staff.
Resource Type
Expert Interview
Motivating Reform With Quick Wins
School Turnaround > Quick Wins > Learn What Works
Dr. Sam Redding discusses the reasons for establishing successes early in the turnaround process and provides some examples of quick wins used in successful turnaround schools.
Resource Type
Expert Interview
The Principal's Role
School Turnaround > Instruction > Learn What Works
Listen to Dr. Joseph Johnson discuss how the role of the principal (e.g., being a presence in classrooms, developing teachers' trust in their common goals) is essential for improving instruction....
Resource Type
Expert Interview
Differences Between Successful and Unsuccessful Turnaround Efforts
School Turnaround > Instruction > Learn What Works
Hear Dr. Joseph Johnson describe how a focus on relevant, narrow goals and an emphasis on student learning can make the same instructional practice work better in some schools than others. Dr....
Resource Type
Expert Interview
The Enacted Curriculum
School Turnaround > Instruction > Learn What Works
Listen to Dr. Joseph Johnson discuss how high-performing schools align curricula to state standards, teach the content with a focus on student learning, and prioritize core content to improve...
Resource Type
Expert Interview
People, Time, Money, and Programming
School Turnaround > Overview & Tools
Dr. Calkins discusses strategies to facilitate school turnaround. He emphasizes the need to establish a readiness to learn in turnaround schools through effectively managing the schools' use of...
Resource Type
Expert Interview
