Needles in a Haystack: Lessons from Ohio's high-performing, high-need urban schools
May 25, 2010
The schools that serve Ohio’s poor, urban and minority youngsters overwhelmingly fall short when it comes to academic performance. But there are a small handful of schools that buck these bleak trends and show serious achievement for disadvantaged youngsters from depressed inner-city communities.
This study profiles eight of these high-performing outlier schools and distills their successes, in hopes that state policymakers and educators can learn from them and create the conditions necessary for more schools like them.
To study the schools, Fordham commissioned two reseachers, Theodore J. Wallace and Quentin Suffren, who spent 16 days and hundreds of hours in eight schools in five cities to observe what makes them successful.
See the news release here. View the PowerPoint, an overview of findings and policy recommendations that we shared with state lawmakers at a Statehouse news conference on May 25, here.
Contents of the report:
Full study
Executive Summary
Findings from the field: Common traits across Needles schools
Afterword: What policy lessons can Ohio learn from the Needles schools?
Full video featuring all eight Needles schools
Profiles of the eight Needles schools:
Citizens' Academy (video)
College Hill Fundamental Academy (video)
Duxberry Park Arts IMPACT Alternative Elementary School (video)
Horizon Science Academy - Cleveland Middle School (video)
King Elementary School (video)
Louisa May Alcott Elementary School (video)
McGregor Elementary School (video)
Valleyview Elementary School (video)
Press coverage of the report:
"Opinion: Success can be kid stuff when adults help," Canton Repository, June 28, 2010.
"McGregor Elementary gets high marks from think tank," Canton Repository, June 23, 2010.
"Editorial: Effective lessons," Columbus Dispatch, May 29, 2010.
"Blog: Proving Murray wrong in Ohio," School Choice Ohio blog, May 24, 2010.
"Study looks for formula to urban school success," Catalyst Ohio, May 2010.
"Improving Urban Education" featured on Cleveland public radio - WCPN, May 26, 2010.
"Three Cleveland schools lauded in study of Ohio urban districts," Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 26, 2010.