Reflections: Then and Now
Submitted by Frank Murphy, Sept. 14, 2010
For three years between 2002 and 2005, M.H. Stanton School appeared to be making great strides in improving student achievement. During this time it was one of 21 schools involved in a reform strategy managed by the School District of Philadelphia. The district’s Office of Restructured Schools was in charge of this effort. Under this arrangement, Stanton along with the other restructured schools, received additional funding, personnel and new instructional materials. In addition, academic coaches worked closely with the teachers at the restructured schools to help them plan and implement effective instructional activities. Poorly resourced schools that had long struggled to build a strong instructional program were finally given the tools they needed to create a better school program.
A research study conducted by the Rand Corporation and Research for Action concluded that student test gains in the restructured schools outpaced gains in other district schools during the time it was in operation. The test scores of M.H. Stanton were spectacular.
To acknowledge its success, in September of 2004, the ceremonial bell ringing for the opening of the school year took place at Stanton. On hand for the ceremony were then mayor, John Street and School District CEO, Paul Vallas. At this event, they proclaimed their pride and satisfaction concerning the tremendous increase in the PSSA test scores achieved by the students at this North Philadelphia elementary school. They said that the test score results of this school were proof that all children, regardless of life circumstances, were capable of high levels of academic achievement.
In a relatively fast sprint from 2002 to 2004, Stanton had raced to the top. However its moment of glory was fleeting. Five years later, this school was declared to be one of the lowest performing schools in the School District of Philadelphia. In February of 2009, it was placed on the “Renaissance Alert” list. This meant that it was likely to become a candidate for one of the school turnaround strategies that have been advocated by Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan and embraced by Philadelphia’s Arlene Ackerman in her Renaissance School plan. The possibility that Stanton will become a charter school or Promise Academy in the 2011 school year is high.
I first wrote about the tremendous success of M.H. Stanton School in raising its PSSA test scores in my book, Confessions of an Urban Principal. In 2004, I wondered why no substantive explanation was offered as to how this feat was accomplished. When I later considered the improvements that Stanton had demonstrated within the context of the restructured school’s effort, I was inclined to be a little less skeptical of this example of school improvement. There was the beginning of a research base with the publication of the RAND-RFA report that indicated that there was some validly to the Office of Restructured Schools reform strategy. So I wonder why was this restructuring effort that appeared to work, so abruptly abandoned in 2005? Most likely, the cost at that time was not sustainable.
The school district’s budget has significantly increased over the last two years. An increase in the percentage of the state’s basic education allocation to our district and the availability of stimulus funds has provided Dr. Ackerman’s team with a substantial amount of money to spend on pursuing their reform ideas.
The success of the restructured schools offered proof that the students who attended schools located in our poorest communities could be academically successful. The abandonment of the restructured schools effort also demonstrated how quickly the progress of children could regress when supports were withdrawn.
So as the members of Dr. Ackerman’s team move ahead with their efforts to reinvent our school district, I have one simple suggestion for them. Build on and continue to do what has already worked. Utilize the expertise of the district employees who have demonstrated that they know how to improve schools. It isn’t necessary to completely reinvent our district.
The large sum of money that is currently available to the school district represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The district should use it wisely to make changes that will endure over time.