Turnaround Watch: The School Improvement Grant Program
Three national organizations involved in education journalism—Education Week, the Education Writers Association and The Hechinger Report—have collaborated with news organizations around the country to examine the federally funded School Improvement Grant (SIG) program, which has received more than $4.6 billion since 2009. These organizations are looking
at how states, districts and individual schools are using this huge influx of
money, and whether the money is achieving the intended goal: helping improve
student outcomes in the nation’s most troubled schools. The findings, first published on April 15, 2012, are significant,
and raise critical questions about the progress of the SIG program, and how communities
are responding to the massive push to remake failing campuses. (Jump to state-by-state stories)
SIG Resources
Stories by State
(Latest update: Sept. 7, 2012)
National/Regional
Turnaround Watch: The School Improvement Grant Program (Education Week)
What’s the payoff for $3 billion in School Improvement Grants? (The Hechinger Report)
School Turnaround Fund Trackdown: Where $3 Billion Federal Taxpayer Money Went (Wired Academic)
Federal Turnaround Funds Force New Methods for Evaluating Teachers (Wired Academic)
Not in Kansas Anymore: SIG Funds Bring iPads to Poor, Rural Schools (Wired Academic)
California
Monterey County schools show progress with School Improvement Grants (Monterey County Herald)
Colorado
In-depth analysis of federal school grant program shows mix of progress, problems (Denver Post)
Verdict still out on school turnarounds (Education News Colorado)
Connecticut
Special Report: $3 Billion to improve schools, but has it worked? (Hartford Courant)
Some Funding Quirks as Schools Grapple with Recession (Hartford Courant)
Federal teacher evaluation requirement has wide impact (Hartford Courant)
Florida
In Expensive School Turnaround Project, Questions About Effectiveness (Florida Center for Investigative Reporting)
Will extra money, attention, help Florida’s low-performing schools? (Orlando Sentinel)
Federal school grant program jump starts efforts to turn around schools (Orlando Sentinel)
SIG program gives schools chance to do things they’ve never done (Orlando Sentinel)
School systems with grants struggle with teacher evaluation models (Orlando Sentinel)
Illinois
Federal money jump-starts school 'transformation' (Catalyst Chicago)
Indiana
School Improvement Grants: Success of reform program in Indiana is hard to measure (Indianapolis Star)
Iowa
Boosting learning skills a work in progress, but grants get school parents involved (Waterloo Courier)
Teacher evaluation work continues (Waterloo Courier)
Maryland
City schools with federal turnaround grants have mixed results (Baltimore Sun)
Massachusetts
Billions for under-performing schools (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
Two Worcester schools targeted for turnaround (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
Poll: Will the $3 billion federal program to turn around under-performing schools work? (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
Evaluation effort slow getting out of the gate for two Worcester schools (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
Teacher, Principal Evaluations Causing Nationwide Upheaval (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
Michigan
$83 million for schools brings optimism, frustration (Detroit Free Press)
Impact of School Improvement Grant program still unclear (Detroit Free Press)
Federal teacher evaluation requirement has wide impact (Detroit Free Press)
SIG and the recession (Detroit Free Press)
New York
Nationally, federal turnaround funding generates mixed reviews (Gotham Schools)
Ohio
School improvement grant results mixed (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Pennsylvania
School Improvement Grants bring money to schools, for now (Philadelphia Public School Notebook)
Rhode Island
School turnaround efforts face roadblocks in R.I., nationally (Providence Journal)
Texas
Uncertainty on success of school grant (San Antonio Express-News)
Washington
$5.8M Grant Helps Struggling Seattle Schools (KUOW 94.9)
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