Learn more about the EdExchange  

Search and Filter

Submit a paper

Not yet affiliated? Have a paper you wish to post? Check out the EdWorkingPapers' scope and FAQs, and then submit your manuscript here.

The Next Generation of State Reforms to Improve their Lowest Performing Schools: An Evaluation of North Carolina’s School Transformation Initiative

Gary T. Henry,
Erica Harbatkin

In contrast to prior federally mandated school reforms, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allows states more discretion in reforming their lowest performing schools, removes requirements to disrupt the status quo, and does not allocate substantial additional funds. Using a regression discontinuity design, we evaluate a state turnaround initiative aligned with ESSA requirements. We find the effect on student test score growth was not significant in year one and -0.13 in year two. Also in year two, we find that teachers in turnaround schools were 22.5 percentage points more likely to turn over. Teacher turnover appears to have been voluntary rather than the result of strategic staffing decisions.

Keywords
school reform, school turnaround, low-performing schools
Education level
K-12 Education
Topics
Policy, Politics, and Governance
Tags
School reform,
Teacher hiring and retention
Download 07/2019
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/evs5-nc27
EdWorkingPaper suggested citation:
Henry, Gary T., and Erica Harbatkin. (). The Next Generation of State Reforms to Improve their Lowest Performing Schools: An Evaluation of North Carolina’s School Transformation Initiative. (EdWorkingPaper: -103). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/evs5-nc27

Machine-readable bibliographic record: RIS, BibTeX