Turnaround for Children partners with high-poverty schools to help transform them. The document outlines: 1) High-poverty schools often struggle due to the adversity faced by students and lack of alignment between schools and social services. 2) Turnaround for Children's intervention includes rigorous academic development, behavioral support, and building the school's organizational capacity. 3) Successful transformations are expected to result in improved student academic performance and socio-behavioral functioning, stronger classroom and school environments, and enhanced professional capacity.

1. Pamela Cantor, MD
Turnaround for Children
ERS School Transformation Summit
Working Session 6
Inside and out: reengineering the school-community relationship to serve high-
poverty schools and children
October 14, 2011
PARTNERS IN SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION™

2. Theory of Change
Problem Rationale and Solution Benefits
Children in high-poverty
Schools are not designed to educate the Schools must be fundamentally Successfully transformed schools will be
communities face School leaders require an
high concentration of kids facing adversity redesigned and realigned with child positioned to continuously and effectively
enormous adversity, and objective, expert transformation
and thus become persistently low- services to support the success of respond to the needs of students from
child services are poorly partner
performing these students high-poverty communities
aligned to help
Social Context School Baseline TFC Intervention School Outcomes
Student Student Status
Mobility
Student Status
High concentration of lagging academic skills
Grade-level academic performance
High concentration of unmet socio-behavioral
Homeless A1. Rigorous Academic Development Improved socio-behavioral functioning
Shelters
needs
School Climate School Climate
Immigrant
Population Chaotic classroom environment Well-managed classroom environment
A2. Academic Support & Intensive Intervention
Unsafe, unstable school environment Safe, positive school-wide culture
Resources
for mental Negative professional environment Supportive professional environment
health
School Capacity
Access to
B1. Positive Behavioral Development School Capacity
Health Care Variable teacher instructional proficiency
Teacher proficiency in academic instruction
Insufficient teacher proficiency to support
student social, emotional, behavioral skill Teacher proficiency to support student
Unemployment
Rate development B2. Behavioral Support & Intensive Intervention social, emotional, behavioral skill development
Insufficient capacity to address severe Systems to identify, triage and monitor severe
Level of Family academic needs academic and socio-behavioral needs
Educational
Attainment Insufficient capacity to address severe socio- Linkages to community-based mental health
behavioral needs F. Foundation for a High-Performance Organization providers and pathways to care
Rate of
Crime, Drugs, Gang Insufficient organizational capacity to Organizational capacity to
Activity define, support, sustain high performance define, support, sustain high performance

3. School Transformation Model
Five Essential Elements

4. Student & School Outcome Measures
OUTCOME SCHOOL-WIDE INDICATORS HIGH-RISK STUDENT INDICATORS
•Distribution of academic proficiency on state ELA & Math tests: shift in levels
Students at academic risk:
1 - 4 in NY (or comparable levels elsewhere)
Improved •Test scores & proficiency levels
•Average school score: improvement in average state test scores (for High
Academic •Reading level (for High School: Regents
School: replaced by graduation rate and exit test data, e.g. Regents)
Proficiency exam score or equivalent, credit
•Percent on track: % of students reading at grade level or above (for High
STUDENTS
accumulation, graduation rate)
School: measure of credit accumulation)
Students at behavioral risk:
•Rate of absenteeism •Absenteeism
Improved •Rate of behavioral incidents, including suspensions •Behavioral incidents and suspensions
Socio-Behavioral •Measure of students’ social & behavioral skills (in development) •Standardized measure of functioning
Functioning
(e.g. teacher rating on Vanderbilt)
•Test scores & proficiency levels
Improved •Quality of classroom environment in 3 domains: classroom organization &
Classroom management; emotional support; instructional support (measured by CLASS
Environment for annually on a sampling basis)
Teaching & Learning
•Academic support for students Note: all measures based on student ratings from NY
Improved School
SCHOOL
•Social & emotional support for students State Learning Environment Survey (or equivalent
Environment – Safer
& More Supportive •Students’ social interactions elsewhere)
•Safety
Improved •Leadership Note: first three measures based on teacher ratings
Professional •Teachers’ Peer Respect, Support & Trust from NY State Learning Environment Survey (or
Environment •Instructional Culture equivalent elsewhere)
•Staff Attachment to School: Staff Attendance & Turnover

5. ABOUT TURNAROUND
Turnaround for Children partners with schools, districts and state education departments to build
capacity and staff proficiency of schools serving high-poverty communities to optimize school
performance and promote academic achievement and success for all students.
Each school partnership is led by Turnaround’s team of experienced educators and mental
health professionals, comprised of: Project Director, Academic Coach and Social Work
Consultant.
• Since 2002, Turnaround has worked in more than 60 schools
• Programs in Place: • Explorations in Progress:
New York City Baltimore, MD
Washington, DC Massachusetts
New Jersey
• Budget: $11.0 million • Staff: 54
• Intervention Cost: $250,000/school, • Intervention Length: 3-4 years
per year