The Realities of Reconstitution: A High School’s Tale
Abstract
During the first decade of the 21st century, the number of US schools required to restructure according to the policies of the No Child Left Behind Act increased annually. In response, educational researchers worked to identify best practices for school restructuring; however, they were unable to find a single set of effective strategies (Center for Comprehensive School Improvement and Reform, 2009). Instead, they recommended that strong school leadership and sustained school improvement reforms are used (Arkin & Kowal, 2005; Brady, 2003; Hess & Petrilli, 2007; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2005; Steiner, 2005). To illustrate the multitude of challenges restructuring schools face, this article uses narrative to chronicle Tyson Douglas High School’s experience. The narrative takes readers through the school’s first year of restructuring and provides them with test score data for the following two years to show the effectiveness of its restructuring. Because Tyson Douglas High School’s restructuring did not increase student achievement significantly, the author concludes by presenting a research-based alternative strategy for school restructuring.
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