Menu
Overview
Systemic Renewal is “about continuous, critical inquiry into current practices, identifying innovations that might improve education, removing organizational barriers to that improvement, and providing a system structure that supports change” (Duttweiler, 2004, p. 56). It is very difficult to effect change in the educational system because of traditional methods of doing things and also vested interests. There is a commonly held belief that accountability strategies will magically transform low-performing schools into high-performing ones. There are no panaceas for the multitude of problems facing schools today. Expecting students to meet higher standards while continuing in the same educational rut is not realistic.
Whole-school reform is an example of systemic renewal. Whole-school reform is a result of the expansion of Title I funds to improve low-performing schools to raise student achievement. In 1997, Congress focused on research-based, schoolwide approaches to reform through their Comprehensive School Reform Program (CSRP). Identifying successful models proved difficult because of a limited research base. The American Institutes for Research (AIR) could name only three models that met the criteria: Direct Instruction, High Schools That Work, and Success for All. Four other models were considered promising—Community for Learning, Core Knowledge, Different Ways of Knowing, and Expeditionary Learning/Outward Bound (Educational Research Service, 1999). Over 1,800 schools in all 50 states participated in the original 1998 cohort of CSRP. An additional 1,000 received funding in 2000.
A successful private sector program is the New American Schools (NAS) initiative. NAS funded teams to develop innovative school designs and to provide support to schools that implemented the designs. Ten school districts participated in this program. Schools adapted the design to local conditions and over time the designs became almost unrecognizable, making the results difficult to quantify. A RAND study found that 50% of the schools made gains in mathematics and 47% of them made gains in reading relative to the district (RAND, 2002).
There is an achievement gap between economically disadvantaged, minority students and affluent, white students. Davidson and Toomer-Cook (1998) found that 95% of eighth graders in high poverty schools were deficient in math skills. Massachusetts (Hart, 1998) and Maryland (Maryland State Department of Education, 1998) have also reported on the achievement gap.
The Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) looked at low-performing schools in San Francisco and Chicago and found that these schools stressed control and order and had low expectations for student learning (Fuhrman, 1999). Teachers and administrators often overlook their impact on student learning. Teachers identified the main cause of poor academic performance as family background. The least powerful cause they identified was the condition of teaching and learning in the classroom. Many teachers and administrators believe that economically disadvantaged students cannot excel (Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road, 2000). This belief soon becomes self-fulfilling in many schools that attempt reform. Mizell’s study (2000) found that reform cannot succeed in a hostile or indifferent environment which is often the case in schools which are implementing change.
Success is possible when systemic forces are addressed. One success story is Brazosport Independent School District (BISD) in Texas. In 1991-92 half of the district’s schools were low performing schools, according to the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). The gap between non-Hispanic white and African-American students was 32% in 1993-94, while the gap between non-Hispanic white and Hispanic students was 20%. By 1998-99, the decrease in the gap was remarkable. The gap between non-Hispanic white and African-American students had decreased to 7%, and the gap between non-Hispanic white and Hispanic students was 3%. All groups were scoring above the 90% level on the TAAS (Anderson, 2000).
A meta-analysis of studies of comprehensive school reform models (Borman, Hewes, & Brown, 2002) found that robust models of reform can be expected to improve students’ test scores. Improvement does not occur rapidly, and the strongest effects were seen in the fifth year of implementation. Research shows that the overall effects of reform are statistically significant and meaningful.
There are several elements necessary to implement reform successfully:
Systemic renewal can create an academic environment that ensures “no child is left behind.”
The 15 Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention Online Courses: Overview Course. (2017). National Dropout Prevention Center/Network.
The 15 Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention Online Courses: Systemic Approach . (2017). National Dropout Prevention Center/Network.
Creating a Trauma-Informed Care School . (2017). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Approaching Teacher Retention the Call Me MiSTER ® Way . (2017). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Increasing Support Systems for High-Potential At-Risk Learners in Rural Areas . (2017). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
A Systems Approach to Dropout Prevention . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Systemic and Professional Development Approach to Dropout Prevention . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Resiliency: The Missing Piece in Early Warning Systems . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Early Warning And Intervention: Reaching Students Before Major Negative Events Happen . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Graduation Success Initative: A Full Court Press Approach . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
PAR (Program Assessment and Review): Behind the Scenes . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Data Analysis for Graduation Improvement . (2015). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Public Schools at the Crossroads: Addressing the Dropout Challenge in Rural America . (2015). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Youth Development Challenges in Kenya . (2015). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Making Sense of the Evidence: A Review of Dropout Prevention Strategies . (2014). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Creating the Schools We Need—In Class and Online . (2013). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
NDPC/N Newsletter: Pregnant and Parenting Students – Volume 23, Number 3 . (2013).
A Look to the Future . (2012). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
The 15 Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention . (2011). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: What Does PBIS Have to Do With Prevention? . (2011). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis.
Professional Learning Communities: An Infrastructure for Dropout Prevention and School Improvement . (2010). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis.
School Climate Through Students’ Eyes . (2010). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis.
Building Authentic Relationships with Youth At Risk . (2009). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis.
Graduation and Collaboration Coaches: Working Effectively Together . (2009). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis.
Strategic Planning to Improve the Graduation Rate . (2009). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis.
From At-Risk to Academic Excellence: What Successful Leaders Do . (2008). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis.
The Role of the Principal in Dropout Prevention . (2008). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis.
Smink, J., & Schargel, F. P. (Eds.). (2004). Helping Students Graduate: A Strategic Approach To Dropout Prevention . Larchmont, NY : Eye On Education.
NDPC/N Newsletter: Alternatives to Retention – Volume 13, Number 2 . (2000).
Publications
Wood, L. & Bauman, E. (2017). How Family, School, and Community Engagement Can Improve Student Achievement and Influence School Reform . Nellie Mae Education Foundation.
Frazelle, S., & Nagel, A. (2015). A Practitioner’s Guide to Implementing Early Warning Systems . Institute of Education Sciences.
Horner, R. H., Sugai, G., & Anderson, C. M. (2011). Examining the Evidence Base for School-Wide Positive Behavior Support . Focus on Exceptional Children , 42(8), 1-14.
Marietta, G. (2010). Lessons in Early Learning: Building an Integrated Pre-K-12 System in Montgomery County Public Schools . The PEW Center on the States .
Sugai, G. (2009). School-Wide Positive Support and Response to Intervention .
Heppen, J. B., & Therriault, S. B. (2008). Developing Early Warning Systems to Identify Potential High School Dropouts . Issue Brief . National High School Center.
Fairbanks, S., Sugai, G., Guardino, D., & Lathrop, M. (2007). Response to Intervention: Examining Classroom Behavior Support in Second Grade . Exceptional Children , 73(3), 288-310.
A Framework for Success for All Students . (2006). New York, NY : Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Cicchinelli, L., Dean, C., Galvin, M., Goodwin, B., & Parsley, D. (2006). Success in sight: A comprehensive approach to school improvement . Denver, CO : Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL).
Duttweiler, P. C. (2004). Systemic renewal: What works?. In J. Smink & F. P. Schargel (Eds.), Helping students graduate: A strategic approach to dropout prevention (pp. 55-63). Larchmont, NY : Eye on Education.
Molnar, A. (2002). School reform proposals: The research evidence . Tempe, AZ : Education Policy Research Unit (EPRU), Education Policy Studies Laboratory College of Education, Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Arizona State University.
Berends, M., Kirby, S. N., Naftel, S., & McKelvey, C. (2001). Implementation and performance in New American Schools: Three years into scale-up . Santa Monica, CA : The RAND Corporation. Retrieved February 26, 2010, from: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1145 .
Lewis, A. (2001). Add it up: Using research to improve minority education for low-income and minority students . Washington, DC : Poverty and Race Research Action Council (PRRAC). Retrieved February 26, 2010, from: http://www.prrac.org/pubs_aiu.php .
Jerald, C. G. (2001). Dispelling the myth revisited: Preliminary findings from a nationwide analysis of “high flying” schools . Washington, DC : The Education Trust.
Websites
The Early Warning Systems Learning Series
Air Quality Curriculum Project – PBL Resources
Center on Behavioral Education and Research at UConn
Maryland State Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
School-Wide Information System at the University of Oregon
Texas High School Project (THSP)
The Texas High School Project (THSP), a public-private partnership focused on remedying the problem of high school dropouts by connecting with schools and communities. THSP partners with high schools, colleges, universities, tech schools, and businesses to provide comprehensive education assistance.
The National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform (NCCSR) collects and disseminates information that builds the capacity of schools to raise the academic achievement of all students
The National Education Goals Panel an independent executive branch agency of the federal government charged with monitoring national and state progress toward the National Education Goals
The National High School Center serves as the central source of information and expertise on high school improvement for the Regional Comprehensive Centers
Archived Solutions to the Dropout Crisis webcasts are available at the links below.
Approaching Teacher Retention the Call Me MiSTER ® Way . (2017). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Building Authentic Relationships with Youth At Risk . (2009). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Creating The Schools We Need—In Class and Online . (2013). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Creating a Trauma-Informed Care School . (2017). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Data Analysis for Graduation Improvement . (2015). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Early Warning And Intervention: Reaching Students Before Major Negative Events Happen . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
The 15 Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention . (2011). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
From At-Risk to Academic Excellence: What Successful Leaders Do . (2008). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Graduation and Collaboration Coaches: Working Effectively Together . (2009). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Graduation Success Initiative: A Full Court Press Approach . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Increasing Support Systems for High-Potential At-Risk Learners in Rural Areas . (2017). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
A Look to the Future . (2012). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Making Sense of the Evidence: A Review of Dropout Prevention Strategies . (2014). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
PAR (Program Assessment and Review): Behind the Scenes . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: What Does PBIS Have to Do With Prevention? . (2011). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Professional Learning Communities: An Infrastructure for Dropout Prevention and School Improvement . (2010). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Public Schools at the Crossroads: Addressing the Dropout Challenge in Rural America . (2015). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Resiliency: The Missing Piece in Early Warning Systems . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
The Role of the Principal in Dropout Prevention . (2008). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
School Climate Through Students’ Eyes . (2010). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Strategic Planning to Improve the Graduation Rate . (2009). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Systemic and Professional Development Approach to Dropout Prevention . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
A Systems Approach to Dropout Prevention . (2016). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .
Youth Development Challenges in Kenya . (2015). Solutions to the Dropout Crisis .