A variety of federal, state, and local improvement approaches have sought to achieve dramatic improvement in persistently low-performing schools by removing factors that inhibit school growth and fail to support effective teaching and learning. Although these efforts appropriately dedicate attention and resources to schools in greatest need, they have historically located the causes—and thus the solutions—for persistent low performance at the school level.
The Collaborative has actively wrestled with the challenges of school turnaround, and advocated for a more systemic approach that acknowledges and leverages the district role in school improvement. It has also sought to integrate principles of continuous improvement into the policies and strategies employed to improve student learning opportunities.